Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia.
The quantity and quality of transportation services in eastern Quebec and my region in particular, the Lower St. Lawrence, have been deteriorating for decades now. Whether on the ground or in the air, we have had limited and poor service for quite some time. VIA Rail has reduced service to the Lower St. Lawrence by half since the 2010s and has sold off a dozen or so of its train stations in my region.
Last week, and just as brazenly, Air Canada suspended flights in our greater regional area. That company's customers came to expect service that was often chaotic, with no regard for passenger inconvenience. There is absolutely no guarantee that Air Canada will bother to resume those flights in the fall, or ever. Workers, business people and the general public were left high and dry, and it happened overnight.
Will the Minister of Transport promise that Ottawa will stop giving in to Air Canada's blackmail and stop providing it with financial support, since it has received too much already?