Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport and it pertains to a critical threat to the survival of VIA Rail and our coast to coast service.
The previous minister of transportation convened a panel, chaired by former cabinet minister David Emerson, and it has now reported. Shockingly, it recommends that the Liberal government kill passenger rail service between Toronto and Vancouver. This transcontinental train, the Canadian, is an essential part of Sir John A. Macdonald's national dream.
Could the minister confirm that the government will protect VIA Rail, and restore and invest in our trans-Canada rail service?