Dissenting Opinion -
New Democratic Party of Canada

Comments on Remote Service
by Bev Desjarlais

"What is at stake are questions of regional prosperity and equity, national identity and national unity."

- Daniel R. McGregor, Carleton University

This quotation reflects the wisdom of Canada's founders, who recognized that linking all regions of the country was crucial to national integration. The transcontinental railway was Canada's first remote service. It was a crucial lifeline for the earliest western settlers who paved the way for those who would come after them and make the west what it is today. Without the rail service, the region never would have grown and prospered.

Today, remote service rail lines are still vital to many Canadian communities. They link these communities, which cannot be accessed by road, to the rest of the country and are vital to their survival and economic prospects. Section 64 of this report notes that the definition of a remote service is one that operates in an area where the population has no reasonable access to alternate modes of transportation. The report goes on recommending a review of the eight remote services operated by VIA. It is vitally important that, when conducting this review, the government adhere to this definition and consider all rail services to communities without road access to be remote services. These communities have been built up along rail lines and must not be abandoned if there is no alternate ground transportation. Further, there must be adequate subsidy for these remote lines to insure adequate service.

Previous to January 15, 1990, when the last big round of cuts to VIA kicked in, there were nine remote routes designated for protection. After this round of cuts, eight routes were protected as separate routes, and the ninth remote route, on the CN main line east of Winnipeg, was deemed to be protected by virtue of that fact that the new transcontinental service would service the stops. This was controversial at the time, and still is, because the nature of the service offered by the transcontinental did not equal the former service. But service did continue to places likeWinnitoba, Rice Lake, Malachi and Ottermere and rail service is still important to these places. None of these are served by direct road access, although some can be reached by a combination of road access to nearby lakes and then a combination of boat and overland travel. Any reconfiguration of passenger rail service must ensure that adequate service to these stops, and all remote stops, is maintained.