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Yesterday, the Canadian government announced plans to introduce legislation aimed at improving rail safety.

The proposed amendments to Canada’s Railway Safety Act — which was enacted in 1989 — would encourage railroads to create and maintain a “culture of safety,” and enable the government to “penalize rule breakers,” federal officials said in a prepared statement. The amendments would set new monetary penalties and increase judicial penalties; strengthen safety requirements for railroads; create whistleblower protection for employees who raise safety concerns; and require railroads to employ an executive who’s legally responsible for safety.

The Railway Safety Act authorizes Transport Canada to oversee rail safety. The new amendments would be backed by Canada’s Economic Action Plan, which provides $44 million over five years to “pursue a robust national rail safety program based on detailed inspections, safety management system audits and enforcement action in cases of non-compliance,” federal officials said.