OTTAWA, Ontario — Expansion of high-speed rail in Ontario and Quebec, infrastructure projects to support trade, and efforts to simplify approval for major construction are part of the party platform released Saturday (April 20) by Canada’s Liberal Party and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Saying Canadian sovereignty is “under threat,” the platform calls for nearly Ca$130 billion in new spending, the CBC reports. That includes some $18 billion for defense, and about Ca $3 billion to help double the pace of home building.
Advance voting in the Canadian election ends today (Monday, April 21), with election day on Monday, April 28. The most recent polling information reported by the CBC shows the Liberals leading with 43.3% support; the Conservative Party is at 38.4% and the New Democrats are a distant third at 8.2% — a stunning turnaround since Jan. 6, when the Conservative Party was at 44.2% and the Liberals were at 20.1%, just ahead of the New Democrats (19.3%).
Rail-related aspects of the 67-page platform include:
— Building high-speed rail between Windsor, Ontario, and Quebec City — an expansion of the plan announced by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau which called for the project between Toronto and Quebec City [see “Canadian government announces plans …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 19, 2025]. The platform also says the government will “support Alberta’s work on Edmonton to Calgary passenger rail.”
— A Ca$5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund, which the platform says will build new trade infrastructure including ports, railways, airports, highways and other infrastructure.
— More infrastructure to help develop Canada’s arctic regions, including ports, highways, railways, and energy projects.
— Creation of a Major Federal Projects office to speed construction of this infrastructure. It would aim to simplify project review and eliminate redundancy, and would approve projects within two years, rather than the current five-year window.
— A requirement that Transport Canada and other federal agencies to reduce red tape by reviewing and reporting within 60 days on efforts to “eliminate outdated or unnecessary rules, reduce duplication or overlap with provincial rules, and streamline the adminsitration of rules and the delivery of regulatory decisions.”
— A “Canada Strong Pass” for those under age 18 that will provide free summertime access to national galleries and museums, as well as free seats on VIA Rail Canada when traveling with parents. The pass would be introduced this year and be good from June to August. It would be accompanied by discounted access and fares for those ages 18 to 24.
The platform does not otherwise address VIA Rail.
The Conservative Party has yet to release its platform, the CBC reports; party leader Pierre Poillevre said it would be released “soon.” The New Democrats also released a platform on Saturday, but a document providing full details was not immediately available.
Good for them. Nice to see someone supporting rail for once. And yes, it costs a lot of money. Everything does. And I’d ask your Canadian friends who complain about taxes and health care if they would care to swap places with us and live in the US right now.
Sounds like the Liberal party is promising a lot of passenger rail service that is highly unlikely to ever be delivered and would most likely be a financial drain if it did.
Reading through everything in its platform is like reading a wish list of everything that a politician could think of. $130B Canadian more in government spending won’t even begin to pay for what they list. Right now the Canadian dollar is at 72 cents vs US. It will be at 50 cents and probably less if they would actually try to do everything in their platform.
I do have a fair amount of Canadian friends and acquaintances. They all constantly complain about how expensive everything is, including their taxes, along with the inability of their government health care system to timely provide more than just primary care.
If these parties expect the nations taxpayers to subsidize their rides they’re sadly mistaken!!
Whichever Party wins the Canadian election VIA will still have a better future outlook than Amtrak has under the Trump/Musk admin.
I doubt it. Amtrak will survive in pieces in come form or another. There will be NEC, the Hiawatha, the California Corridors, the Cascades, etc. VIA Rail will have some catching up to do.
Oh, give me a break! VIA Rail has disintegrated under the Liberals.