Thank you, Chair.
In 1989, I left home and went west aboard a VIA Rail train. In the 1980s, passengers travelling by train came from diverse backgrounds, and service was reliable. Since then, the service has not been kept up to standard.
VIA has the duty to provide reliable services to all passengers who want to travel to the Gaspé. This is a federal company, and its mandate is to provide services to rural regions that are not well served by bus service or private transportation. On its website, we see that, according to its map, 50 roads are designated essential for rural communities and regions. If they want to cut a route, the company's plan has to be changed, or the Treasury Board Secretariat has to establish a change in route.
We want to confirm for people in the Gaspé that services will be accessible in the future. I think that this is an essential service for people living in that region, many of whom do not have the means to travel otherwise.
VIA Rail falls under federal jurisdiction, even if the railway owner is not the federal government, but rather the Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie, as my colleague mentioned. There is an agreement between the Quebec government and Transport Canada. VIA Rail assures us that this line will be operational in the future.
I simply want to say that I would like the government to reassure the people of the Gaspé that it will support and promote this service.