The committee was studying improving VIA Rail security and customer service, with a second panel on port infrastructure. Witnesses included Micheline St-Onge from the Coalition pour le retour des services d'un train de passagers en Gaspésie, VIA Rail executives led by interim CEO Mathieu Paquette, and later Kelly Smith from the Corner Brook Port Corporation, Barry Penner from the Cruise Lines International Association, and Craig Bell Estabrooks from the Saint John Port Authority.
Micheline St-Onge described the deterioration and eventual 2013 discontinuation of passenger train service to Gaspésie, calling it a lifeline for health care access and the regional economy. She asked for a daily daytime Montreal–Port-Daniel–Gascons route now, a Montreal–Gaspé route as soon as possible, and a protected budget for a pilot project this fall if VIA Rail cannot provide the service, noting that the Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie could manage it.
Mathieu Paquette apologized for the December 10 incident and said fleet reliability is his top priority, with expectations reset for supplier Siemens. He confirmed VIA Rail intends to return to Gaspésie and will visit the region soon to assess infrastructure, but said conditions such as track agreements and station readiness must be met before a partial resumption, disagreeing with St-Onge’s implication that VIA Rail has been unwilling.
Graham Blackwell said VIA Rail is focused on engineering solutions and operational mitigations with Siemens to improve fleet availability and reliability, including for both the new Venture fleet and legacy cars.
Denis Lavoie confirmed that winter testing was part of the commissioning phase for the Siemens trains and noted that VIA Rail is in procurement processes to renew the long-distance, regional and remote fleet, including the Sudbury-White River line.
Marie-Flore Ducrot said VIA Rail has revised its emergency protocols, introduced a new mobilization and alert system with detailed escalation thresholds, and modernized communication with passengers and frontline employees to ensure timely, consistent information.
Kelly Smith said the Corner Brook Port Corporation, a not-for-profit community port, faces aging infrastructure and lacks the borrowing capacity of Canada port authorities, with repairs to 65 piles costing $5.2 million. She asked the federal government to develop dedicated funding and policy tools recognizing the limitations of divested community-based ports, warning that without modernization the port could lose emerging opportunities in critical minerals and wind energy within five to ten years.
Barry Penner recommended enhanced federal support for cruise-compatible port infrastructure, streamlined permitting, targeted investment programs, and regulatory modernization to keep Canadian ports competitive. He also supported expanding shore power, developing low-carbon marine fuels, and expanding the CBSA virtual clearance pilot, noting that high fees and long processing times for foreign technical specialists create barriers to ship refit work in Canada.
Craig Bell Estabrooks highlighted the Saint John Port Authority’s growth, with container volumes up 29% in 2025, and said a $247-million modernization quadrupled container capacity. He asked the federal government to revisit the borrowing limit process under the Canada Marine Act to give ports more financial flexibility and to invest strategically in rail, road and inland infrastructure to address infrastructure deficits and support trade diversification.
The committee debated and adopted a motion requesting that the Port of Montreal make its remediation plan for contaminated lands in Contrecœur available to the public and submit it to the committee, and inviting the port to comply with municipal regulations and Quebec environmental laws. It also adopted a motion requesting that the Department of Transport ensure VIA Rail applies the federal Buy Canadian Policy in the context of renewing its long-distance fleet. A motion to invite the Minister of Transport on the supplementary estimates was adopted with an amendment to schedule the meeting within a reasonable time frame. A motion to study a Canada Infrastructure Bank loan to the Mersey River wind project was debated, with members proposing amendments to prioritize it after the current port study or by April 15, but no final agreement was reached.
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