Discussion · Government Orders
John-Paul Danko Liberal
“The Conservatives are missing the big picture by only focusing on diesel and trucking costs. Shipping goods by rail or ship costs much less than by truck. Our government is investing in ports and rail to move cargo more cheaply and save Canadians money.”
“Madam Speaker, I am kind of struck that Conservatives often address the issue of the day with this kind of gotcha politics but often miss the big picture. In this case, the member talked a lot about the costs of diesel and trucking, but our government is investing in port infrastructure and in rail infrastructure, because the cost of shipping commodities by rail is half the cost of trucking, and by ship, it is four or five times less. I have some local examples of that. In Hamilton, we are investing in what is called highway H2O, the St. Lawrence Seaway, getting more cargo onto ship traffic and getting trucks off highways. Across the country, we are also investing in rail. Again, I have an example from Hamilton. There is a 50% rebate on steel that is shipped by rail or ship, promoting alternative modes of transportation for cargo other than trucking, which is a real cost savings for Canadians beyond the initial excise tax issue we are talking about right now.”
Madam Speaker, I am kind of struck that Conservatives often address the issue of the day with this kind of gotcha politics but often miss the big picture. In this case, the member talked a lot about the costs of diesel and trucking, but our government is investing in port infrastructure and in rail infrastructure, because the cost of shipping commodities by rail is half the cost of trucking, and by ship, it is four or five times less. I have some local examples of that. In Hamilton, we are investing in what is called highway H2O, the St. Lawrence Seaway, getting more cargo onto ship traffic and getting trucks off highways. Across the country, we are also investing in rail. Again, I have an example from Hamilton. There is a 50% rebate on steel that is shipped by rail or ship, promoting alternative modes of transportation for cargo other than trucking, which is a real cost savings for Canadians beyond the initial excise tax issue we are talking about right now.