Mr. Speaker, it seems to be only those countries with declining economic prospects that are forced to get rid of their national railways. Mexico,
buffeted by the currency traders, is offering its national railway to outside investors. Canada is doing the same.
Yet the American government continues to pour money into its rail and port system. One recent example is $1.6 billion to improve rail and terminal facilities in Long Beach, California, to "enhance export capabilities".
The Netherlands Parliament has just approved an expenditure of almost $6 billion for a 75-mile link to connect Germany's Ruhr industrial belt to Rotterdam.
If the Liberals could see what the Dutch and the Americans see, that trade and transport are intertwined, we would be investing to aid our exporters instead of giving up on the CNR and selling it out.