"In Canada, the shipping of dangerous goods by all modes of transportation is generally considered to be very safe. Transport Canada estimates that there are approximately 30 million dangerous goods shipments by all modes every year, 99.998% of which arrive without incident. ... The devastation wreaked in Lac-Mǧantic, Quebec in 2013 by a runaway train hauling crude oil drew worldwide attention to the potential consequences of rail accidents involving dangerous goods, however unlikely they may be. ... On 18 November 2013, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities ('the Committee') received a request from the Minister of Transport to review and report on the Canadian regime for the safe transportation of dangerous goods and the role of safety management systems (SMSs) across all modes of transportation. The Committee began its study by focussing on rail transportation and held 11 meetings to discuss the issues with stakeholders. This interim report, which the Minister of Transport requested, provides an overview of what the Committee has learned to date (up to including its meeting on 6 May 2014) about the transportation of dangerous goods by rail and railway SMSs. It is focused on explaining the respective roles of the regulator and industry participants, as well as stakeholders' recommendations for improvements to the safety of the transportation of dangerous goods by rail and the effectiveness of SMSs in rail transportation. The Committee continues its study and will complete a final report with recommendations by the end of 2014, as requested by the Minister of Transport"--