Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise again to table a petition to the Minister of Transport. The petitioners are from Sault Ste. Marie, Prince Township, Massey, Echo Bay, Blind River, and even Saskatoon. It is with respect to the Algoma passenger rail. The petitioners indicate that it has not been operating for quite some time now, which has resulted in substantial hardship for residents, businesses, and other passengers. In terms of the impact, the $2.2-million investment from the remote subsidy funding they used to get actually netted about $48 million in return. Therefore, as members can see, it is quite problematic.
Again, 75% of the properties in proximity to the rail line are inaccessible except by rail service. For those who have access to roads, we are talking about bush roads.
The petitioners call upon the Minister of Transport to put the Algoma passenger train back in service to ensure that the mission of Transport Canada, to serve the public interest through the promotion of a safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible transportation system in Canada, is fulfilled.