Debates of March 26th, 2015

Military Contribution Against ISIL

[Jason Kenney, Conservative, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism]

Mr. Speaker, I regret to say that the member's entire speech was based on complete rubbish. He is confusing two completely different facts.

Yes, there are some 2 million Syrian refugees to whose humanitarian relief we have contributed more than $700 million as the sixth-largest donor nation. He is confusing that population of 2 million with the $67.1 million that we have contributed to the some 200,000 internally displaced Iraqis since last August, which actually works out to about $335 per refugee. He is wrong by a factor of 20. We are the fifth-largest contributor to humanitarian relief of the 200,000 IDPs in Iraq. That is not 5¢ a day. It is 20 times that.

We are the fifth-largest contributor, and we are by far the largest per capita contributor of any developed industrialized country. We should be proud of our enormous, disproportionate contribution.

[Peter Julian, NDP, Burnaby—New Westminster, BC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the Minister of National Defence, has all of his exaggerations and all of his whoppers he has been telling, like Russian jets buzzing Canadian war ships. It was not true, NATO simply said. The Minister of National Defence simply was making it up. There was the fake citizenship ceremony, and now he has fake figures. The reality is that the figures that the Conservatives have put forward are exactly that, 5¢ per refugee per day in one of the greatest humanitarian crises that the world has seen in recent times. The Conservatives should be ashamed of themselves.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

It being 12 midnight, pursuant to the order made on Wednesday, March 25, the debate is now adjourned.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Rail Transportation

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Tuesday of next week has everything it takes to be a black day in northern Ontario if the government continues to drag its feet on a proposal to save passenger services on the Algoma Central Railway. Despite a mountain of work that has been done by a working group trying to pull these trains from the ashes of the fire that was set by the government when it made a questionable change in the designation of what rural and remote passenger routes are, if no signal of intent is received before Tuesday, the last passenger cars for the ACR will pull into the terminal.

It will put a knife into a localized economy that averages $250 million in business a year, and it will threaten hundreds of jobs and businesses. It will even isolate the community of Oba, whose only option to get out will be a private road, which is not maintained for its use at all.

Despite no end of lead time and the diligent efforts of the working group to find a third party deemed acceptable by CN, the government will not even offer a signal of intent on the proposal to wean the service off the subsidy in only five years. All we are told is that Transport Canada is working on the file and that everybody has to wait.

That is not necessarily the case, though. There are workarounds that are not even being explored, and the lack of creativity from the government on this is disheartening for people waiting to see if they will be able to transport guests to their businesses, get to their camp, or even make their way from their small town to a larger one for something as simple as a doctor's appointment.

The first and most obvious solution that is not being explored is reclassifying the line as remote and recognizing the plight that residents of Oba will face if forced to rely on a sporadically maintained private road to travel from that community. It was clear from the get-go that Oba was being stranded by the reclassification of the ACR passenger line, but the government refused to budge. If the line were again considered remote, it would be eligible for the same subsidy that kept trains rolling for years, and CN could be asked to bridge the gap that is created while Railmark's paperwork is sorted out. For the purposes of safety clearance, which I understand is one of the items holding up Railmark's ability to take the line over on April 1, CN already has the green light.

The second solution would not require reclassification of the line, but only an answer to the proposal in the affirmative. This, again, would allow CN to consider bridging the gap, which it well may view as doable with the knowledge that it would not be an act of charity.

I have outlined just a couple of the scenarios that could be used to save passenger services on the ACR. I am sure the government will be able to find even more options if it chooses to. In any scenario that will keep the trains running, there is bound to be some back and forth, but that it is what is missing and that is why I am raising this tonight. There just has not been much in the way of dialogue, and the reason for this is the unfathomable lack of interest shown by the government in the process.

Time is of the essence. Will the government signal its intent on the proposal that has been made to protect this important piece of northern Ontario infrastructure? The people who rely on the trains deserve an immediate answer.

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for La Francophonie]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the member for Sault Ste. Marie on this file for his constituents.

It is often said that Canada is a country that is tied together by its railways. We have one of the largest rail networks in the world. With some 48,000 kilometres of track, it could circle the globe.

For over a century, Algoma Central Railway has played a part in the network, providing passenger train service to numerous people in this area. The ACR passenger rail service runs almost 500 kilometres between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. In particular, it has served the canoeists, snowmobilers, cottagers and tourists who wish to travel to the beautiful wilderness recreation sports that this region offers.

As the member is aware, budget 2013 renewed funding for the Algoma Central Railway for a period of one year, until March 31, 2014. As the Minister of Transport announced last year, our government was pleased to extend funding for another year, to March 31 , 2015, to continue operation of the the Algoma Central Railway. This funding gave local stakeholders time to explore sustainable, long-term solutions for passenger rail service in the area.

Over the past year, the Algoma Central Railway passenger service working group has been examining the feasibility of continuing the service and has identified a potential new operator. Recently Transport Canada received a proposal to provide temporary funding support. The Minister of Transport has asked departmental officials to examine the proposal and the process is under way. The proposed new operator will also require a railway operating certificate. That request was submitted to officials last week and officials need adequate time to conduct their review. This work by officials is essential to ensure that the proposed passenger rail operation is safe for all Canadians before beginning operations, and that any funding provided is an effective use of taxpayer dollars.

The Government of Canada has no role in operating the Algoma Central Railway. The current operator, CN, is a private company that makes its own decisions concerning its operations, and which services and routes are offered to its customers. Similarly, the potential new operator must also make a thoughtful decision regarding whether or not to proceed. Any decision to terminate the Algoma Central Railway between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst will be a business decision made by the owner or operator of the Algoma Central Railway.

Lastly, I would like to remind all members that this government has supported and will continue to support the transportation needs of northern Ontario. In the transportation sector alone, we have committed more than $150 million to improve northern Ontario's highways, rail infrastructure and border crossings since 2006.

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is the current government that has been dragging its feet.

If the government wanted to support this initiative, I suppose it would want to add some conditions. However, this late in the game, such conditions would be considered inappropriate in negotiations in good faith and would most likely seem harsh.

Given its reluctance to communicate with the parties involved, any chance of an exchange of views is growing slimmer given the limited amount of time left to save passenger service on the Algoma Central Railway.

If the train stops running, businesses will close, jobs will be lost, and the local economy will disappear. The government will have to live with those consequences for a long time.

Northern Ontarians are patient, but they have good memories, and they deserve better.

Will the government make this issue a priority and do something to save passenger service on the Algoma Central Railway?

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recognizing the increasing number of transportation options available to citizens of Sault Ste. Marie, Hearst, Hawk Junction and Oba, including highways and other rail lines, in budget 2013, the Government of Canada made the decision to terminate the subsidy to Algoma Central Railway on March 31, 2014. Last year the Minister of Transport extended the $2.2 million subsidy for an additional year to allow time for stakeholders interested in continuing the service to come up with a long-term, self-sustaining solution.

Transport Canada officials are reviewing a proposal submitted by Sault Ste. Marie for a possible new operator to provide passenger rail service between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, Ontario. Currently, the department is also reviewing the application from the potential new operator to obtain a railway operating certificate, ROC. It is extremely important that Transport Canada has an opportunity to assess whether or not the proposed passenger rail operation is safe for all Canadians before it begins operations, and that any funding provided by this government is an effective use of taxpayer dollars.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until later this day, at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 12:09 a.m.)