Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, everyone, for your presentations.
We heard about funding and subsidized ridership, etc. I want to get into that a little bit.
I think what we've heard previously is that there is an enormous subsidy per rider for something like Via Rail. Obviously there are massive investments, with hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars going into more money for Via Rail. What I note about that line and what we've heard about the Windsor-Quebec City corridor is that it's already quite urban. It's already quite well served by other modes of transport. It's not that difficult to get to a major airport, for instance, from places along that line, yet there is still an effort to increase service and pour billions of dollars of government subsidies into it.
I'd like to follow up with Mr. Roberts.
I found your testimony compelling when you talked about what you could do if you were given a bit of support. What is your view when you see the federal government putting billions of dollars into well-served markets while markets like yours in Newfoundland and Labrador, as you said, get nothing? Is there an equality issue here that you feel needs to be addressed, and how should the government address it?
Obviously, Via Rail is a Crown corporation. I'm not sure if your brighter day would include being made into a Crown corporation, but I'm interested to know how you think the federal government could support those rural communities and individuals who don't have easy access to other modes of transport and would rely almost exclusively on the bus if they're looking for an option other than a personal vehicle.