CN Jobs Going South?
Thursday December 6, 2001
Mr. Bill Blaikie (Winnipeg--Transcona, NDP): Mr.
Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.
Subsequent to the
privatization of CN and the merger with Illinois Central, CN has not only become
a railway that is owned by American shareholders, it has also increasingly
become a railway that is run by American managers. The result of this in
Winnipeg has been that jobs are increasingly leaving Winnipeg and going south.
There is a rumour now that the Motive Power Shop at the Transcona shops will
close. Other jobs are leaving Symington as traffic is diverted south for
repair, maintenance and inspection.
Will the Minister of Transport use his good offices
to talk to CN to make sure it keeps jobs here in Canada where they belong?
Hon. David Collenette (Minister of Transport,
Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the privatization of CN has been a remarkable
achievement for the government because CN now has a market capitalization of
billion. It is one of the great railroads in North America. It has created
thousands of jobs in Canada right across the country and that will continue.
On the particular point that he raised, I will
certainly use my good offices to speak to the president of CN to see if we can
help the situation.
