Mr. Speaker, this week someone in this country died in a car-train collision. The saddest part of that is it could have been prevented.
Every working day in Canada there is a car-train collision. Many of these occur at night because railcars are not properly equipped with reflectors.
My urban colleagues need to understand that over 20,000 crossings in this country, mostly located in rural areas, are uncontrolled. There are no overhead lights, no bells, no flashing signals, no protective arms, no advance warning. There is just the person in his or her vehicle on a quiet snow covered gravel road on a peaceful night and without warning, suddenly out of the darkness a train appears and it is too late.
The Liberal government is fazing in reflectors over seven years. The Conservative Party asks why phase in something that could save lives today? The government should do it now. The cost to equip a train car is less than $200. The tragic cost of failing to do so is eternally higher.