Time and time again our region has been ignored.
We are constantly fighting to get what other Canadians take for granted: Healthcare. Education. Housing. Basic infrastructure. Jobs and economic development.
Now it seems we have to fight just to keep what we have.
Take the Hudson Bay rail line and the Port of Churchill. It provides a critical land link for many communities. It connects Manitoba and Canada to the world.
In 1997 the then Liberal government privatized the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Rail line. They virtually gave it away to OmniTrax, a US company owned by billionaire Pat Broe.
This was a huge mistake. Look at what has happened since then. In recent years OmniTrax ignored the port and rail line.
Then they shut down the port. They then shut down part of the rail line and refused the direction from the federal government to repair it. Now even the rail line that is being operated has been cut back in terms of service.
People have lost their jobs. Businesses are at risk of closing. Prices are skyrocketing for even the most basic goods. This should not be happening in Canada in 2017.
Now we have the bizarre spectacle of this company arguing that the Bay line should be run like a public utility, only with OmniTrax, a private company, operating it but receiving funds from government.
Enough is enough. I have repeatedly called on the federal and provincial government to step up and take a stand for Churchill. Even though the federal government is now calling on Omnitrax to fix the rail line, for many it comes across as too little too late.
Churchill deserves better. Our north deserves better. Canadians deserve better.
It’s time the federal government showed some real leadership.
Get OmniTrax out. Renationalize the port and rail line. Get things back to normal for Churchill and the Bay line.
