Mr. Speaker, I know the interest of the hon. member in this matter, but I want to make sure that there is no misunderstanding. There has not been a single request from VIA to abandon any service in Canada, with the exception of this one area where it was not through its wishes but as a result of a decision by CP to abandon the freight activity on that line.
I would not want to give any indication of what may or may not happen in the future. The problem of the existing line on the basis of the freight operations has not been resolved. I would not care to speculate other than to say that I am sure VIA will continue to try to provide the very best service it can within the parameters of the limited budget we are allowing it to operate under.