Canadian Railroads > Algoma Central Train Cuts-Politicians View

Carol Hughes,

NDP MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing



Thank you for being in touch with me about the fate of passenger service on the ACR. Like you I find this development short-sighted and unacceptable. It is an exercise in penny-pinching that ignores the greater benefit of the meagre investment the government made that only offset a portion of the losses incurred through offering a passenger service. I am happy to see such a strong response in opposition to this development and hope that we can do our small part that will provide the impetus for the government to change their minds and work towards a solution.



Many have written to share their personal stories and connections to the ACR. I am struck by the iconic role this railway has played across generations and in the development of the Hearst to Sault Ste. Marie corridor. The history of the ACR is intertwined with that of the region in such a way that many of us cannot fathom how any government would consider having a hand in its demise.



I have been assured that CN was happy to maintain the service if they felt they were receiving some assistance with the losses they incurred and that the trigger for this crisis was the loss of the subsidy and nothing else. In acting alone, it appears as if the Conservatives had not performed any economic impact studies to rationalize their decision to cut the subsidy. We also know that no stakeholders were consulted and that the announcement was made at the 11th hour.



Since learning of the ACR passenger service’s fate I have brought the issue to the floor of the House of Commons on two separate occasions and will continue to look for opportunities to make the case for the ACR. I have also button-holed the Transport Minister to make a broader defence of the ACR than is allowed during the time constrained debate of Question Period. I wanted to make certain she was entirely aware of the damage that her government’s decision is all but ensuring and just how many people will be affected.



Again, thank you for being so engaged on this important issue. I have received messages from around the world in defence of the ACR‘s passenger service and have shared these with the Transport Minister along with a letter I hand delivered in the House of Commons. I will continue to share all messages I receive and to press for a favourable outcome as I believe there is a solution to be found before the service is set stop at the end of March.



Sincerely,



Carol Hughes, MP
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

Amazing! A politician with some common sense.

SR2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amazing! A politician with some common sense.


Pretty much every politician will work hard to bring home the pork.

It would be far more amazing if this particular MP represented a riding not affected so directly.

BobE

Unfortunately, in our (Canadian) political system, the common sense almost always comes from the opposition.
Please note that the MP is a New Democrat. I doubt very much that a Conservative MP would make a similar statement.
As a small-c conservative, I am getting extremely tired of "party" taking precedence over "people."

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

Northern Ontario MP's - regardless of party - have been commendably prickly when jobs are lost in their region.

They don't always carry the day - there are only so many seats in the North, so Southern Ontario issues tend to take precedence - but governments do tend to try to hold on to the seats they have. Being as this seat is held by an opposing party, the MP's views, plus another $1.50, might buy you a newspaper somewhere :-)

- Paul

Through the years, I've lived in three political ridings. During my Montreal years in the 1960's and 70's, I lived in an wealthy urban riding which had been Liberal for decades, and produced many cabinet ministers. As a voter in that riding, I always felt that we were under represented because our MP was more interested in climbing the political ladder in Ottawa than looking after the interests of her constituents.

Later, I lived in a low population riding in BC for thirty years. It is a swing riding (from Conservative to NDP and back several times) , however in the scheme of things not important in Ottawa or Victoria. Rarely did our MP's raise a question in the House of Commons. Basically, they served as just a number in the headcount on important votes in the House.

Now I live in an adjacent riding in BC, which is usually Conservative but known to swing occasionally. Kamloops, however, has always been a "squeaky wheel" with an opinion on everything which is voiced loudly and often. The constituents, including the business community expect their MP's and MLA's to speak out. This seems to have worked out in terms of being heard and getting things done.

There was a "Where is Betty?" campaign, where constituents hounded the Conservative MP of the day for not involving herself in community affairs and not speaking often in the Commons. Even the print and TV media played that game, starting interviews with the line "Nice of you to show up".

SR2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amazing! A politician with some common sense.

More like a Parliamentary Assistant good at managing the spin. The rough translation of this is "we know you're mad, we tried, vote for us, Thanks!". The chance of a NDP MP from the north having any impact whatsoever, other than to have their concerns recorded in Hansard and a good bullet point for their update newsletter, is slim to none.

Is there any freight traffic on this line?

Mike Root
Madras, OR