Mr. Speaker, in Craigellachie, British Columbia, a marker reads:
A nebulous dream was a reality; an iron ribbon crossed Canada from sea to sea. Often following the footsteps of early explorers, nearly 3,000 miles of steel rail pushed across vast prairies, cleft lofty mountain passes, twisted through canyons and bridged a thousand streams. Here on November 7, 1885, a plain iron spike welded East to West.
It is my pleasure to stand before the House and celebrate National Railway Day as a way to honour rail's central role in Canada's history and remember those who persevered through Canada's unforgiving climate to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.
While the first crews to work on the CP line were instrumental in uniting Canadians from Atlantic to Pacific, today's rail sector workers are a vital part of making sure that the third largest rail network in the world maintains our access to national and international markets, enabling economic growth and prosperity for all Canadians.
Today we pay tribute to Canada's historic railways and their workforces, which are as much a part of this nation's story and success as the vast steel networks themselves.