Trudeau’s proposal is also getting support from an unlikely corner: Alberta
Emily Williams, a spokesperson for presumed frontrunner Mark Carney, said on Monday that connecting the two provincial capitals via high-speed rail would be a slam-dunk for Canada’s economy.
“More connections mean more growth — by linking Canada’s economic hubs, we will create thousands of well-paying jobs and strengthen our local economies,” Williams said in an email to the National Post.
The soon-to-be-departing prime minister said the spending will commence in the 2024-25 fiscal year, with further details, such the location of stops and a timeline for the project’s completion, to come.
Liberal leadership candidate and ex-finance minister Chrystia Freeland was quick to endorse the prime minister’s proposal at a campaign stop in Quebec last week.
”This is a great investment in Canada’s economy and a great investment for Canada,” Freeland told reporters.
“Great news! The federal government is moving forward on high-rail between Quebec City & Toronto. I fully support this important investment and will continue to,” tweeted Gould.
The only Liberal leadership candidate not fully onboard with the idea, as of Monday, was longshot outsider Frank Baylis.
“He doesn’t want to just jump on a bandwagon,” said Baylis spokesperson Justine McIntyre.
McIntyre said that Trudeau still had some work to do to show that the project was in the taxpayers’ best interest.
”When we say $3.9 billion, that’s just the initial cost of the project. How much will the total cost be?”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel said on Monday she doubted the project would be built under the Liberals.
“The reality is the Liberal Party of Canada has built virtually nothing for Canadians,” Rempel Garner told reporters in Ottawa.
But the Conservatives aren’t saying a hard ‘no’ to high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City.
“Let’s see a plan!” said Conservative spokesman Sam Lilly in an email to the National Post.
Trudeau’s last-minute pledge for a rail network serving Quebec’s capital region puts the Conservatives in a tough spot, obviously not wanting to put their lone beachhead in the province at risk.
Meanwhile, Trudeau’s proposal is getting support from an unlikely corner: Alberta.
Alberta Minister of Transportation Devin Dreeshen said that his biggest concern is that the high-speed rail initiative doesn’t go far enough.
”Let’s make it a true economic corridor, so that not just high-speed rail could go through there, but you could have other projects that could fit within that right-of-way the federal government is looking to buy,” said Dreeshen.
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