Mr. Speaker, the vote on the Kyoto accord is behind us. It is now time for immediate action to improve public transit across Canada.
All forms of public transit deserve support. The support can be in the form of municipal decisions to, for example, designate bus only routes, or special breaks for passes which involve bus and train use. It could also be in the form of tax breaks for long term public transit passes.
However, in the vicinity of our major cities Kyoto means a much greater emphasis on rail transportation. I urge the federal government to throw its weight behind improving passenger rail service across the country. In particular, I urge that we move now on returning passenger rail service along the Peterborough-Oshawa-Whitby-Pickering-Toronto route.
The studies have been done. Public and municipal support is there. Let us act now.