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Deputy House leader of the official opposition

Luc Berthold

  • Member of Parliament
  • Deputy House leader of the official opposition
  • Conservative
  • Mégantic—L'Érable
  • Quebec
  • Voting Attendance: 65%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $94,201.00

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 332 - Jun/14/24
Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)
  • Jun/14/24 11:08:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, late at night on July 6, 2013, at 1:14 a.m., a runaway train derailed in the middle of the small town of Lac‑Mégantic. Forty-seven people were killed and 2,000 others were forced from their homes. We will never forget this tragedy. I was mayor of a nearby municipality when the tragedy occurred. I remember the pain expressed by the victims' families. I remember the outpouring of solidarity that followed this tragic accident. Today, I feel compelled to remind the House of all of this because the community of Lac‑Mégantic is still waiting for the solution put forward by the governments, specifically the construction of a rail bypass. Canadians might not know this, but 11 years after the tragedy and just over six years after the Premier of Quebec and the Prime Minister of Canada jointly announced that the rail bypass would be complete in 2022, the work has not even started. I am pleading with the Liberal government, Transport Canada, the Canadian Transportation Agency, Canadian Pacific Kansas City and all decision-makers to remember July 6, 2013, and the 47 people who lost their lives. The people of Lac‑Mégantic, Nantes and Frontenac want answers and they want action. The time for talk is past.
225 words
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  • Rabble!
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