Canadian Legislative News

Bus Passenger Safety

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities has announced that it is beginning a study on bus passenger safety. This comes at a time when various reports in Canada show that having seatbelts in school buses could increase safety for children, while other reports show that the status quo ensures enough safety.

This announcement comes weeks after Minister of Transport Marc Garneau announced the creation of a task force to look into the possibility of outfitting school buses with seatbelts. The Minister stated that the federal government has jurisdiction to force all new buses to have seatbelts and that it would be up to provinces to retrofit existing buses.

There are no details yet on the length and extent of the study. However, the committee has invited stakeholders to participate by appearing or submitting reports.

Consultation on Cybersecurity for Automated and Connected Vehicles

Transport Canada has launched a consultation on Cybersecurity of Automated and Connected Vehicles. The purpose is to seek stakeholder views on potential cybersecurity approaches for AV/CVs in areas including legislation and regulations, standards, guidance, information sharing, education and training, and testing and research.

Automated and connected vehicles (AV/CVs) might provide vehicles that are potentially safer, greener, and more efficient for Canadians. As AV/CVs become more prevalent and accessible, regulations might need to be implemented to ensure that safety at all levels, including cybersecurity, is observed to the highest standard. AV/CVs will need to collect tremendous amounts of information in order to understand the surrounding environment through the use of onboard sensors, radar, laser surveying technology, etc. – therefore, creating an increased risk of cyber-attack, privacy breach, and inadvertent disclosure.

Any policy regarding cybersecurity for AV/CVs would need to focus on identifying the vulnerabilities in the design of the technology and ensuring consumers’ personal data is protected. However, a balance must be struck between safely regulating AV/CV’s integration to roadways without stifling innovation. While most of the AV/CVs discussion has been oriented towards the protection of consumers, they also provide challenges for fleets.

NAFA has been very active on the issue of cybersecurity in light of the new technologies like AV/CVs. NAFA is a partnership member of the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

NAFA will submit a response expressing the views of fleet managers to Transport Canada on this issue and monitor any new developments.