Toronto Ontario - The Canadian Transportation Safety Board was very clear in its August report on the Lake Megantic disaster that the tragedy was a result of a series of systemic and operational failures on the part of the train's operator, and, most importantly, Canada's railway safety regulator, Transport Canada.
 
It was not simply the failure of "one person".
 
The disaster prompted very serious questions about Transport Canada's role and approach as a safety regulator, which the federal government has failed to date to address in any meaningful way.
 
Hunter Harrison's ill-considered remarks add to the already powerful case for revisiting Transport Canada's "safety management system" regulatory model that effectively lets railways regulate themselves.
 
Mark S. Winfield.