Mr. Speaker, today marks the beginning of the fifth season for Rocky Mountaineer rail tours, a private company which runs tourist rail traffic through the beautiful Rocky Mountains to Banff and Jasper.
Rocky Mountaineer has its head office in my riding of North Vancouver. It receives no taxpayer subsidies. It creates a significant number of private sector jobs and has generated more than $5 million in tax revenues for all levels of government.
There have been rumours that VIA Rail may try to get back into the passenger rail business on the same route as that travelled by the Rocky Mountaineer. However a 1990 contract states that this cannot happen without cabinet approval. There is no logical reason to allow a taxpayer subsidized VIA Rail to compete unfairly with a private sector venture.
I urge all members of the House to strongly oppose any permission for VIA Rail to re-enter this market. I also ask all members to join me in wishing Rocky Mountaineer rail tours its best year ever in 1994.