The Last Spike[/Straw] : Report of the Task Force on Rail Passenger Service

This report by a six-person committee appointed by the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada criticizes 1981 legislation by the Liberal Party-led federal government to cut back or cancel Via Rail services. The Committee held hearings to determine public opinions concerning the decision to cut Via’s budget, highlight the decision’s deleterious effects on passenger rail service, and condemn Transport Minister Jean-Luc Pepin’s process of enacting the legislation. The first part of the report summarizes the committee’s mandates, findings, and conclusions, while the second part lists hearing speakers, summarizes their testimonies, and provides a short summary of Via Rail’s incorporation. Politics aside, the report captures the change, frustration, and uncertainty that characterized Canada’s passenger rail service in the late 1970s and beyond.