Passenger Trains > WA Governor speaks regarding 2nd Van Cascades

http://wsdotfederalfunding.blogspot.com/2010/10/amtrak-cascades-fee-gregoire-responds.html

Pretty interesting...

It sure seems like this has moved to the front burner re: US-Canadian relations. Ambassadorial and ministerial level. Sounds like officials realize that they have green signal from higher ups (White House?) to press hard on this issue.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

They have my permission to use an aluminum bat on the heads of Canadian customs officials.

vancouver airport has that damn 10$ fee last time i was there, they have a few taxes don't they, GSC tax.

The Canadian print media has picked up on this so the Canadian public are starting to be aware of the situation.

It is not just Amtrak, regional airports have been told if they want Canada Customs service, they will have to pay extra.

Not wishing to be too political, the Governing political party in Canada are the Conservatives (Tories), roughly equivalent to the GOP in the US. They have pledged to keep taxes from increasing, and as costs rise for public services they either have to curtail services or fund those services with user fees.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Canadian print media has picked up on this so
> the Canadian public are starting to be aware of
> the situation.
>
> It is not just Amtrak, regional airports have been
> told if they want Canada Customs service, they
> will have to pay extra.
>
> Not wishing to be too political, the Governing
> political party in Canada are the Conservatives
> (Tories), roughly equivalent to the GOP in the US.
> They have pledged to keep taxes from increasing,
> and as costs rise for public services they either
> have to curtail services or fund those services
> with user fees.


The key word being "roughly". My understanding is that, for the most part, the Canadian conservatives are pretty well left of where the more vocal GOP is these days. I haven't yet determined if the loudest vocal parts of the GOP are representing the majority of the party or not.

Both the left and the right in Canada have taken near fatal whacks at VIA Rail in the 1980's and 1990's. I don't think it is a liberal or conservative issue.

If they can do without our tourist money due to CBSA obnoxion, low US $ (which they cannot control), and lack of GST rebate, which has effectively boosted their hotel rates 7% for us on top of everything else, then we can find other places domestically to spend our money.

Some of you, including the Governor of the State of Washington make it sound like it is the will of the Canadian people to charge Amtrak for Border services. If what is being said in the Vancouver BC media is any indicator, it certainly isn't. The Federal Government is a "minority" government, meaning that it does not have a majority of seats in the House of Commons.

Canadians have been subjected to extra fees or withdrawn public services as well. It is a case of "risk management" by Federal bean counters. "Let's charge more fees/deny services to this group of people as their voting power is not significant enough to lose us House of Commons seats in an election". Political ideology comes in when the ruling political party decides which sector of society to cut service/charge more fees to.

The BC Government doesn't play a role in the Customs debate, although they have more access to the decision makers who could change this decision than the average citizen.

There is a question whether the present Canadian Government gives a hoot what happens west of the Rockies. How come this hasn't been imposed on the Toronto or Montreal Amtrak services?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/10 11:26 by eminence_grise.

FWIW, I found the Canadian immigration control people in Halifax to friendly and helpful when I arrived there last month. One even made a point of suggesting his favorite restaurant in Baddeck when he learned
[ETA] I would visit there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/13/10 13:56 by Lackawanna484.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is a question whether the present Canadian
> Government gives a hoot what happens west of the
> Rockies. How come this hasn't been imposed on the
> Toronto or Montreal Amtrak services?

My understanding* is that because the these trains have been operating for a long time, they have been Grandfathered in.

*Some one please correct me if I'm wrong.

The second Cascade is a newer service and is subject to the fees. If any attempt is made to extend the Chicago - Port Huron train back to Toronto, I would expect it to be subject to the same problems.