Perfect.
I'll read the text of our motion.
Given that,
a) Over Labour Day weekend, passengers on Via Rail train 622 from Montreal to Quebec City were stuck for 10 hours with little communication from Via, no food, no water, and even a period of no electricity, washrooms or air conditioning, I move that this committee dedicate three meetings to investigate this incident, starting the week of September 16, 2024, and hear from:
Transport Canada officials for no less than two hours;
Via Rail leadership, including the CEO of Via, for no less than two hours;
The Minister of Transport and Quebec lieutenant Pablo Rodriguez for no less than two hours by himself; and,
That this committee condemn the federal government’s failure to sustain reliable passenger transportation systems, as demonstrated by the facts below, and report this finding to the House.
b) Via passengers were stranded for over 18 hours with little to no communication during Christmas of 2022, 40% of Via trains were late in 2023, and Via paid out $11 million in bonuses in 2023 despite these failings,
c) Canadian airlines are among the lowest-ranked North American carriers when it comes to customer satisfaction and Toronto Pearson has been ranked the second-worst among the largest airports in the continent for overall traveller satisfaction.
Mr. Chair, I bring this motion with the utmost good faith and sincerity. I hope we can find resolutions and solutions so that passengers and Canadians never again have to suffer through these unneeded and horrendous delays.
Thank you.