I think that they may do the same and "upgrade" the existing corridor as a stop gap and avoid spending the bid bucks on a new corridor like the Harper government.
Who knows what they'll do. But specific mention of HFR is a decent sign that they are interested. Also, like I said earlier, they have some political interests that line up with this project. Let's not forget that the first person to really push returning rail service on the Havelock sub was Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro. So Conservative interest in a rail project here predates HFR.
Waa this not the same government that cancelled the high-speed rail project approved by the former liberal government?
Which project and which government? Serious question. We have a long history of Liberals talking about rail projects, doing little to nothing in office, and then having conservatives who come in simply cancel the near non-existent project. Even on HFR, the Liberals didn't fund a full engineering study and the joint project office till June 2019, almost 4 years after getting elected. They ran nearly $80 billion in deficits in their first term. And yet couldn't find $70M over that time to get all the engineering work done. That should tell you that their sincerity isn't all its cracked up to be.
I do think the urban voters in O-Q can be moved with this project, especially if the Tories can communicate just how badly the Liberals have been holding it up.
I don't think HFR will necessarily move voters in the big metros. But it will help in ridings along the routes, opens up possibilities to flip Lakeshore ridings with the Kingston hub and could help flip a few suburban ridings in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal where the suburban stations are.
Broadly, if they can actually build something it does sort of put a lie to the whole 2015 Liberal "Deliverology" claim, that they would be the party that delivers. Delivering a major piece of infrastructure that is used by the middle class is a noticeable and visible demonstration of competence. And now that the Liberals have done most of the prep work...
I’m astounded that the Liberals have committed close to half a billion but are not giving any specifics of where that money is going.
Yep. Total BS. No idea where the money is going. And no idea what "starting the procurement process" even means. I am assuming that is an RFP. But that's a generous interpretation of a vague phrase. The Liberals could have had shovels in the ground by now, if they were actually serious about this project. But even now, they go out of their way to be vague.
When I wrote to my MP (Pierre Poilievre) about a year ago about his position on HFR, his response was about the importance of moving freight and passengers.
First, my sympathies to you to have that guy as your MP.
Next, I feel like that's a boiler plate response. I followed the CPC transport critic and even listened in on a recent forum where she was talking. Her entire worldview was rail for cargo and airlines for passengers. She didn't have much depth beyond that. If HFR is truly on the menu, it's because O'Toole or some staffer from the GTA probably forced it in.
