Mr. Speaker, the Matapédia-Chandler rail line is at considerable risk. The owners of this section of the Gaspé rail line have already indicated their intention to stop all transportation of goods and maintenance service on their rail network.
According to the Canadian Transportation Agency, this section will be sold or dismantled in a year and a half from now. The loss of it will clearly be devastating to the Gaspé. It would not only have a direct effect on the activities on the Chandler-Gaspé section, but it would make it extremely difficult to establish new businesses in the southern part of the Gaspé, it would threaten the future development of the port of Gaspé and would halt VIA Rail operations as well.
Our region simply cannot afford the loss of its railway network.
The federal government must tell us now, clearly, what it plans to do to enable our region to keep its rail network.