PETITION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
WHEREAS:
- Canada’s national passenger rail system is currently fragmented between legacy VIA Rail operations and the new “Alto” High Frequency Rail project;
- Federal transit funding is distributed to provinces and municipalities without sufficient requirements for national integration, leading to disconnected local networks;
- Commuters lack a unified payment system, making travel between different cities and transit agencies difficult and inefficient;
- Rural and Indigenous communities remain underserved by the current national transportation framework; and
- Canada lacks a coordinated domestic procurement strategy to support our local transit manufacturing sector.
THEREFORE, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
- Establish “Transit Canada”: Create a new subsidiary agency under Infrastructure Canada to consolidate the management of VIA Rail and the VIA HFR–Alto project into a single, efficient national rail authority.
- Launch a National Transit Pass: Implement a digital payment standard and “National Transit Pass” that allows Canadians to use a single payment method (card or mobile) across all transit agencies receiving federal funding.
- Implement the “Last Mile” Grant: Create a dedicated funding stream to help small and rural municipalities build transit links that connect their residents directly to national and regional rail hubs.
- Create a Domestic Rolling Stock Procurement Strategy: Coordinate large-scale, “Buy Canadian” bulk orders for buses and trains to lower costs for municipalities while supporting high-paying Canadian manufacturing jobs.
- Found the Indigenous Transit Partnership Office: Establish a formal division within Transit Canada to co-develop and fund transit solutions that connect remote and First Nations communities to the national network.
- Centralize Funding Oversight: Mandate that all federal transit capital transfers be administered by Transit Canada to ensure every dollar invested contributes to a seamless, accessible, and climate-friendly national network.