Transport Committee on Oct. 10th, 2024

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

You can come to committee any time.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

[Inaudible—Editor] the invitations.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Mr. Bachrach, I'll let you start again. You have two and a half minutes from the start, please.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thank you very much.

Minister, I really welcome the news that your government will be investing in the replacement of Via's long-distance fleet. It will make a huge difference for the sustainability and viability of those critical routes that serve rural Canada and places like the one that I represent in northwest B.C. However, your plan to privatize the corridor between Toronto and Quebec City will starve Via Rail of 95% of its passenger revenue.

Have you been briefed on where that will leave Via Rail as a Crown corporation, as it tries to provide the rest of this huge country with passenger rail service?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Thank you for that question.

This is not at all about privatization.

We have opted for a public-private partnership so we have access to experts who have concrete experience with these trains. So this is not at all about privatization. We are continuing to work with the private sector, but the public sector will have a role to play in this matter because it is very important to continue to offer a service to Canadians.

We can do that with this kind of model.

My deputy minister could offer further comments on that.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

I only have two and a half minutes, and I'm at a minute and a half, so can you answer in five seconds? You can come back as well.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Arun Thangaraj]

I never get invited to anything.

As the minister said, the private-sector partner will be able to deliver the operations in the corridor. What that will allow Via Rail to do is focus attention on the other routes, like the Ocean, the Canadian and the one in northern Manitoba, and focus their operational energies there.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Yes, but the challenge is that, as you well know, right now the corridor provides 95% of Via Rail's passenger revenue, so it's going to be faced with trying to focus on the rest of Canada with mere crumbs from fare revenue, because it's serving long distances in sparsely populated areas.

This is my last point, Mr. Chair, as I see my time is nearly up.

Minister, your assertion that your government's plan for HFR is not privatization is tough to believe, because you're looking at a private-sector partner that's going to design, construct, finance, operate, set the schedules and fares for and profit from that corridor between Toronto and Quebec City. If that's not privatization, I don't know what is.

Sure, the corridor is going to continue to be owned nominally by the government, but this is a plan to privatize the most frequently used corridor in this nation, and I think it's a real shame. That's all.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you very much, Mr. Bachrach.

Next, we'll go to Mr. Vis.

Mr. Vis, the floor is yours. You have five minutes, sir.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, just to wrap up some of the things we've talked about, I learned today that the Government of Canada is the sole shareholder of Via Rail. I learned today that you've spoken to the CEO of Via Rail regarding the incident in August and the delay in service. Here at this committee, we've heard from passengers and people impacted that they have to plan for a six- to eight-hour window in order to plan accordingly to get from destination A to destination B with the services offered by Via Rail right now.

As the minister responsible and as the representative of the sole shareholder of Via Rail, can you guarantee to Canada today that as a result of this incident we will see measurable improvement in services offered to Canadian passenger rail users?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I guarantee that I will exercise the oversight and authority vested in me as Minister of Transport to ensure that Via Rail does better for Canadian passengers, including in terms of delay and in terms of service. Via Rail is operationally independent, and I will exercise my authority as far as I am able.

Thank you.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

It is operationally independent, yes, but as the shareholder, you can demand a time frame by which Via Rail must improve service delivery.

Are you willing to implement a time frame to ensure services improve in the very near future, and would you be able to provide that time frame to this committee?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I will provide all correspondence to this committee, including the letter of expectations and the letter that my predecessor provided to demand better service from Via Rail. The updated action plan will be completed in the coming months, and I will table that action plan with this committee. Everything will be in place by Q1 of 2025.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

It will be in place by Q1 of 2025. Thank you, Minister.

I'm going to turn to some rail lines in another part of the country, the Wild West, or British Columbia.

My area of British Columbia has undergone more disasters and more expensive disasters than anywhere in the history of Canada. Since your appointment as minister, have you received any briefings on forecasting models for future environmental events impacting the CN, CP and Southern rail lines that operate in the Fraser Valley?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I have engaged in discussions with my colleagues on this very issue, including CN and CP, and I am regularly updated on wildfires and natural disasters, given the situation in this country, including in western Canada.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

With respect to the floods that took place in 2021 that wiped out all three railways from operational service—

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

On a point of order, what is the relevance?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Excuse me, Mr. Vis. We're going to stop the clock at three minutes and two seconds.

Mr. Badawey.

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

What is the relevance to the issue with Via?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

Thank you, Mr. Badawey.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Let me take a moment to explain the relevancy. Via Rail operates on those rail lines. Via Rail services in British Columbia and rural Canada cannot operate in those areas if the rail lines are washed out again.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. May I continue?

[The Chair, Liberal, Peter Schiefke]

I will ask, though, Mr. Vis, that you find a way to link it with the incident of August 31. That is why the minister is appearing here today. We have invited the minister to come back to discuss much broader issues.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Via Rail services were disrupted because the rail lines that they use were not operational in a way to meet their expectations. In British Columbia, the rail lines were not operational either, the very same ones used by Via Rail in Quebec.

What steps is the minister willing to take to ensure that the rail lines in British Columbia are operational when the next natural disaster comes? I do believe, as your government has stated many times, that another natural disaster will come, which will wipe out all three of those railways simultaneously once again.