moved for leave to introduce Bill C-430, an act to amend the Canada Transportation Act (discontinued railway lines).
Mr. Speaker, this bill to amend the Canada Transportation Act has as its purpose the declaration of a moratorium of three years on the dismantlement of any abandoned rail line.
The reason is that once a line is abandoned, if immediate dismantlement is allowed, that line can never be put into productive use. If there were a three year moratorium it would give interested parties the opportunity to organize, raise financing and potentially put these lines back into service as privately owned short lines.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)