Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport has introduced legislation to provide for review of significant merger proposals in transportation services under federal jurisdiction. This is welcome to the extent that it leads to something meaningful but, unfortunately, the horse is already out of the barn when it comes to the CNR. Its merger with Illinois Central has already resulted in the virtual takeover of a formerly Canadian railway, now owned and operated by Americans.
At the CN shops in Transcona there is a plan in place to demolish the only shop left in Canada that can lift a locomotive by crane, thus destroying an industrial capacity that has existed since the shop was built almost 100 years ago, in 1909.
Would a company with a truly Canadian point of view allow such a thing to happen? I think not. I urge CN to change its plans.
In the meantime, shame on the Liberals for allowing the privatization of CN, the conditionless merger with Illinois Central, the silent takeover of our largest railway and the export of jobs. The legislation comes too late.