QUESTION PERIOD — National Finance
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
July 27, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, in its recent report entitled COVID-19: Relief in times of crisis, the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance made a recommendation that highlights the challenges associated with air transportation in Northern Canada. The people in my region of northern New Brunswick currently have absolutely no public transportation available to them. On June 30, Air Canada stopped offering its services at the Bathurst airport, even though it serves 150,000 residents and more than 5,500 businesses in New Brunswick and the Gaspé region. VIA Rail, meanwhile, has suspended all service on the Montreal-Halifax line until the end of November 2020.
Many workers in my region, who contribute to the country’s economy, depend on those modes of transportation.
What does the federal government plan to do in the short term to help resolve this intolerable situation, which, once again, penalizes a segment of the Canadian population that lives primarily in rural areas?
I believe that access to public transport and transportation in general is vital to the economy and to the lives of Canadians, and that is certainly true in rural communities. Thank you for raising this important issue.
I don’t have enough details to respond specifically to your question, but I will do some research and get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.
I very much look forward to that answer.
