MP Antoine Dube (Levis, Quebec) BQ.
"CN owned...6,000 bridges across Canada."
MP Chuck Strahl (Fraser Valley East, British Columbia) Reform.
"In 1993 the federal government sold the (Quebec) bridge to CN for $1 dollar with the proviso that CN maintained that bridge."
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Many bridges were eventually decommissioned, especially those in the Atlantic provinces.
Bridge over the Wapiti River near Grande Prairie, Alberta.
Prince George, British Columbia.
Rochfort Trestle near Mayerthorpe, Alberta.
Meikle River Bridge 90 miles north of Peace River, Alberta. Sold by CN to RailLink in 1998, reclaimed by the multinational a few years later.
Peace River Rail Bridge, Alberta.
Uno, Manitoba.
Pont Victoria, Montreal.
Fredericton Railway Bridge, New Brunswick - decommissioned in 1996, now owned by the province.
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Comments by Member of Parliament Alex Shepherd in the House of Commons, Ottawa, one year before the Crown corporation CNR was privatized:
Mr. Alex Shepherd (Durham) February 7, 1994.
"I note that most of the tracks in eastern Canada are owned by CN and more precisely by the taxpayers of Canada. Currently CN, which displays the Canadian flag on its trains, and CP are in negotiation for consolidation of rail services in eastern Canada.
"I would like to bring this matter to the attention of the House so that we can convey our desire to have the Canadian flag and not the offensive logo of CP Rail flying over taxpayers property in eastern Canada."
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CN Rail is not an exemplary corporate citizen. CN is continuously abandoning railway lines and and cutting off Via Rail's ability to transport passengers. They don't care.
House of Commons Debates Ottawa January 30, 2014.
Mr. Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North, Ontario) Green Party.
"Mr. Speaker, CN is a problem. CN Rail will abandon the line from Bathurst to Miramichi that Via Rail needs to connect the Martimes to the rest of Canada. CN is also ending passenger service north of Sault Ste. Marie. Passenger rail service is in jeopardy across the country."
Hon. Lisa Raitt (CPC).
"Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member has already said, CN is a private company that takes decisions regarding which lines it wants to operate in the country. If it chooses not to operate and to discontinue a line, it goes through a process...CN is following that right now. That said, it is important to note that Via is an arms-length corporation that makes its own business decisions."
The Minister who privatized the CNR in 1995, Douglas Young, was warned that thousands of miles of tracks would be decommissioned if foreign investors owned the infrastructure. He did not listen, and as a result Canada has a balkanized railway system--- that cut off transportation services in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island and to thousands of communities across the nation.
Canadian taxpayers have to pay Bill Gates, CN Rail and the CPR millions of dollars a year so that the Crown corporation Via Rail can use the tracks.
Bridge over the Wapiti River near Grande Prairie, Alberta.
Prince George, British Columbia.
Rochfort Trestle near Mayerthorpe, Alberta.
Meikle River Bridge 90 miles north of Peace River, Alberta. Sold by CN to RailLink in 1998, reclaimed by the multinational a few years later.
Peace River Rail Bridge, Alberta.
Uno, Manitoba.
Pont Victoria, Montreal.
Fredericton Railway Bridge, New Brunswick - decommissioned in 1996, now owned by the province.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments by Member of Parliament Alex Shepherd in the House of Commons, Ottawa, one year before the Crown corporation CNR was privatized:
Mr. Alex Shepherd (Durham) February 7, 1994.
"I note that most of the tracks in eastern Canada are owned by CN and more precisely by the taxpayers of Canada. Currently CN, which displays the Canadian flag on its trains, and CP are in negotiation for consolidation of rail services in eastern Canada.
"I would like to bring this matter to the attention of the House so that we can convey our desire to have the Canadian flag and not the offensive logo of CP Rail flying over taxpayers property in eastern Canada."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
CN Rail is not an exemplary corporate citizen. CN is continuously abandoning railway lines and and cutting off Via Rail's ability to transport passengers. They don't care.
House of Commons Debates Ottawa January 30, 2014.
Mr. Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay-Superior North, Ontario) Green Party.
"Mr. Speaker, CN is a problem. CN Rail will abandon the line from Bathurst to Miramichi that Via Rail needs to connect the Martimes to the rest of Canada. CN is also ending passenger service north of Sault Ste. Marie. Passenger rail service is in jeopardy across the country."
Hon. Lisa Raitt (CPC).
"Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member has already said, CN is a private company that takes decisions regarding which lines it wants to operate in the country. If it chooses not to operate and to discontinue a line, it goes through a process...CN is following that right now. That said, it is important to note that Via is an arms-length corporation that makes its own business decisions."
The Minister who privatized the CNR in 1995, Douglas Young, was warned that thousands of miles of tracks would be decommissioned if foreign investors owned the infrastructure. He did not listen, and as a result Canada has a balkanized railway system--- that cut off transportation services in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island and to thousands of communities across the nation.
Canadian taxpayers have to pay Bill Gates, CN Rail and the CPR millions of dollars a year so that the Crown corporation Via Rail can use the tracks.
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I am standing on decommissioned CNR tracks in Wakefield, Quebec. The station has been converted into a lovely restaurant with views of the Gatineau River. |
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| The wooden floors and ceiling are part of the original building. |
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