High-speed rail would foster national unity: MP
Mike De Souza, Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, June 21, 2009
OTTAWA -- A multi-billion dollar high-speed rail project between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont., would promote national unity among Quebecers and boost their attachment to the rest of the country, says federal Liberal transport critic Joe Volpe.
"Imagine that the people of Quebec are prepared to engage in . . . spending money that's taken out of the province of Quebec to build a line that's going to make it easier for them to connect with southern Ontario," Volpe said in an interview, as parliamentary hearings wrapped up last week on high-speed rail.
Volpe added that a major passenger train project would be the largest national infrastructure project involving both Quebec and Ontario since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway 50 years ago. At the same time, he said it could also bring Canada back to its roots, when the first railway networks were built.
"That's nation building because they're going to be caught up in the same kind of enthusiasm that caught up Canadians 140 years ago when they were building this ribbon of steel to connect the vast empire that was way out there in the Northwest Territories and other provinces, and the two Canadas, obviously along with the two maritime provinces."
Volpe said that people have lost sight of the fact that Canada was built on rail and passenger rail, but he sees an enormous opportunity with a new proposal for a high-speed link that already has an endorsement from the Bloc Quebecois.
"One needs to look no further than all the CP hotels that are built around the country in order to accommodate people who had to move from one point to another," Volpe said. "Rail [and] passenger rail has been a part of the Canadian fabric, the Canadian psyche and the Canadian experience since before Confederation because it was perceived to be an economic development strategy as well as a moving goods, moving [people] strategy."
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1718907