In addition to that request, which by the way this committee has endorsed many times before, we also have on the table two other proposals. One is to continue working with the provinces and the rail industry on a partnership basis to fund short-line infrastructure--these are the many small railway companies across the country that face many financial hurdles.
Finally, we are also proposing that we create a rail technology development fund. The U.S. government is abolishing, by the end of this year, its federal excise tax. We suggest, at least in the short term, that in Canada that fund or that amount of money be rolled into a new development fund that can focus on a national innovation effort for the creation, acquisition, and use of some new rail fuel saving and emissions mitigation technologies.
In conclusion, going forward, rail must be able to make investments that yield significant public benefits in terms of congestion mitigation, emissions relief, and energy conservation. We are at an environmental crossroads, so the actions we are calling for today, including the establishment of this new fund, would nicely complement clean air and greenhouse gas emission thinking that currently is very active in Ottawa, and they would help further reduce rail's environmental footprint while attracting more people and freight back on track for the future.
Thank you.