September 23, 2020—Governor General’s Throne Speech does not go far enough in supporting the kind of mass public transit that Canadians need and want to see during the economic recovery from COVID-19.

The Safe Restart Agreement that offered emergency federal funding for the financial recovery of transit operations required matching by the provinces, and as a result, was turned down completely by some provinces.  While the Safe Restart Agreement was historic, it falls short of providing safe, reliable, and affordable transit for essential workers and people on essential trips.

The Liberal government also failed to address the crisis facing the school bus industry and the intercity buses.

Transit is a critical service when it comes to health, the environment, and our economic recovery.

We need stable, predictable funding for mass transit on a permanent basis. Such funding would allow people to access medical services, lower carbon emissions and pollution, and get people out spending money in the safest way possible. National funding is imperative for safe social distancing on mass transit.

Credit agencies are all saying that Canada is in a good financial position even with the uptick in spending, so the capacity is there to provide a permanent national funding package for mass transit. Every $1 invested in transit delivers $4 in economic growth – so investing in public transit makes good sense.  

John Di Nino
ATU Canada President