Mr. Speaker, we are fully aware of and deeply concerned about the impacts of the decision CN was forced to take and its consequent impact on VIA Rail, as well as the people who rely on freight rail and rail employees.
The department has been in constant communication with CN and CP. Furthermore, the Prime Minister has convened the incident response group with members of our team to discuss the situation and assess our path forward. All parties must engage in open and respectful dialogue to ensure the situation is resolved peacefully. We strongly urge the parties to do so.