Mr. Speaker, the member does not even know what he is talking about.
The reason that people are not taking as many trains is because there is not enough choice in the amount of times the trains go through. That is because of the cuts made and the promotion of it as well. The fact that there is a cut in the ability to promote the line certainly plays an impact in not even knowing about the opportunities that could be out there.
It is clear that rail offers real value to those regions and communities it serves. While the government is reducing services to VIA routes, groups like the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains are trying to revive them. Rail projects create demand and jobs in the north, as we see with Serpent River First Nation in partnership with Sudbury's Mansour Group on a railway ballast contract where the first nation supplies crushed rock for the Huron Central Railway's track reconstruction project. They built a 1,000-foot long railroad siding in just 6 weeks. It is working. With the success of this project, Serpent River First Nation is keen to become a transportation hub in the region.
Will the government jump on board and create another success story by committing to restore passenger rail and preserving the infrastructure needed to grow this in the future?