OTTAWA – The Green Party of Canada is deeply concerned about ongoing cuts in Canada’s transportation sector that are creating havoc for communities and regions across the country and leaving Canadians with seriously diminished travel options.

“Across Canada ground transportation is in crisis,” said Green parliamentary leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands). “VIA Rail is suspended and struggling due to COVID, regular intercity bus service disappeared for much of the country years before COVID. Many communities and the tourism sector depend on coach bus companies like Maritime Bus and Wilson’s on Vancouver Island. We call on governments both federally and provincially to make it clear to the banks, that as they continue to make exorbitant profits, we expect them to do their part for our economy and our communities.”

Air Canada began cutting routes to Sydney, N.S. in December 2020, and by mid-January cut flight routes to Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Rupert and Kamloops in B.C., Fredericton and Saint John, N.B. and Yellowknife, N.W.T.

“The fact that airlines are offering vacation destinations while cutting essential services to east and west coast communities is troubling,” said Green MP Jenica Atwin (Fredericton). “Their priorities are flawed. Regional routes are crucial, and need to be maintained. I understand that the pandemic has had a severe impact on airline revenue, but something must be done to safeguard these routes.”

“Air Canada does not just move passengers, it also moves a lot of critical cargo including medical supplies to regional airports,” said Paul Manly (MP, Nanaimo-Ladysmith). “Services are being cut all across the north as well as in the Maritimes, leaving these communities essentially without fundamental service.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, rail and bus routes have also endured significant cutbacks. Greyhound Canada completely suspended all routes in May 2020, leaving many Canadians in remote communities with few transportation alternatives. In October, Via Rail suspended service to the Maritimes indefinitely and has reduced service in other regional corridors.

“Maritime Bus has announced cutting services across the region impacting the ability of Maritimers to remain connected to one another and to the rest of the country,” said Atwin. “These services are at risk of permanent collapse without immediate federal assistance.”

Mr. Manly observed that cutting vital transportation routes is dangerous for women, particularly Indigenous women. “We must never forget the horrific tragedies that occurred on the ‘Highway of Tears’,” he said. “That 725 kilometre corridor of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert was where so many Indigenous women were murdered or disappeared. Lack of public transportation infrastructure in that region left these women vulnerable.”

“People in rural areas are being left stranded,” concluded Ms. May. “We simply cannot leave Canadians living in remote communities without access to safe, reliable transportation.”

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For more information or to arrange an interview:

Rosie Emery

Press Secretary

613-562-4916×206

rosie.emery@greenparty.ca

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Mr. Speaker, I have two comments for my hon. colleague, and hopefully I will get a response to the second.

I feel honour bound to say that when the Harper administration brought in the tax credit for the use of buses, the Green Party opposed it because it did not put a single additional bus on the road. It did give a tax credit to people who were taking public transit anyway and who were already in an income bracket that would allow them to benefit from a tax credit. The credit was valuable to many people, but it did not contribute toward reducing greenhouse gases. An analysis of that bus tax credit showed that the cost per tonne in the reduction of greenhouse gases was so inefficient that it cost $1,000 per tonne, so I cannot now attack the present Liberal administration for removing something that I criticized the previous government for bringing in, but the public transit issue does merit more examination in the budget.

My second point is that $20 billion has been promised for public transit, but only somewhat less than $1 billion of that will be available before 2019. I would ask my hon. colleague the parliamentary secretary why we are not taking the climate crisis more seriously and spending the money sooner to help people find it more convenient to take public transit.

Terry Duguid – Winnipeg South, MB

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. friend from Saanich—Gulf Islands for her advocacy on climate change. I know that as part of the Canadian delegation, she was an important part of the discussion in bringing the Paris climate agreement about.

I agree with her that the tax credit for transit ridership was ineffective. It did not reduce greenhouse gases and did not improve ridership.

I will also echo something the hon. member said. We are going to be investing, over the next 10 years, $28.7 billion in transit. That is a staggering amount of money after very little funding over the last 10 years. Again, we need the time to plan. In Winnipeg, for instance, the southwest transit corridor is being completed. It is in the planning stages now, and it will be ready for investment in 2018-2019.

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International Car Free Day started in the 1990s in Europe and is now celebrated  across the globe, raising awareness of the benefits of alternative  transportation.  A 3% reduction in car trips lowers carbon monoxide emissions by 20% and traffic jams by 30%, improving air quality and also commuters’ stress levels.   “A well-run public transportation system can make  getting places easier and more efficient, saving time and money,” said  May.  “Many families spend almost 15% of their budget on transportation; this could be significantly reduced with proper train and bus systems  in place.”

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