Olivia Chow, MP

Summer Break: Dismal Report Card for Transport Minister Lebel

Time for Mid-Year Review for Transport Minister Lebel; Failing Grades in Most Areas

June 21, 2012

OTTAWA -Students across Canada received their report cards as they headed off for summer break. Likewise, it’s time to take a close look at the Conservative government’s record. Transport Minister Lebel clearly didn’t excel in his job in the past months. This year was marked by inactivity on safety issues, damaging key programs and services through reckless cuts and awarding plum jobs to insiders.

Here is what NDP Transport Critic Olivia Chow had to say in the House of Commons right before Parliament adjourned for the summer.

Transcript:

Mr. Speaker, mayors and councillors want a national transit strategy, air travellers want safe, affordable services, and farmers want reliable rail delivery.

Did the Minister of Transport get the job done? No, he did not. There is still no national strategy for transit, air or rail. He has failed to heed the advice of the Transportation Safety Board on air safety. There are still no voice recorders and automatic braking systems to reduce train accidents. He has failed to protect pedestrians and cyclists by making sideguards mandatory on trucks. He also has failed to protect rail customers.

What did the Minister of Transport get done? He is following a grand Conservative tradition of appointing insider friends. From Ted Flemming in Saint John to failed candidates in Quebec City and Prince Rupert, to fundraisers in Oshawa and Toronto port authorities, the minister excels in patronage appointments.

That is not Canadian leadership that will move Canada forward.