FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY INADEQUATE

The federal government needs to provide more specifics on how it intends to implement its new transportation policy, according to the Government of Saskatchewan.

"Straight Ahead" – the federal government's national transportation policy for the next decade and beyond was tabled in the House of Commons by Transport Canada Minister David Collenette on Tuesday.

"The transportation policy is complex and warrants further study," Highways and Transportation Minister Mark Wartman said. "While there may be elements of benefit to Saskatchewan, particularly in the area of rail transportation, there are many issues that require specific attention from Ottawa."

Wartman indicated that, from Saskatchewan's perspective, areas the federal government must clearly address are:

• establishing adequate and sustainable funding for the national highway system;
• ensuring competition, or adequate recourse where market forces fail, in the area of grain transportation by railways, including the issue of joint running rights for short line rail operators;
• providing access to the transportation system for remote and northern communities; and
• developing a strategy regarding alternative fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel.

"A lot of focus has been placed on things like high-speed rail and urban corridors that impact major urban centres like Montreal and Toronto," Wartman said. "A truly national transportation policy must address regional equity and involve the provinces and territories as equal partners."

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For More Information, Contact:

Doug Wakabayashi Highways and Transportation Regina Phone: (306)787-4805 Email: dwakabayashi@highways.gov.sk.ca