June 22, 1926 (15th Parliament, 1st Session)

Mr. MACLEAN (York):

I know, but the mining country of northern Ontario is being absolutely served now by public owned railroads, either the Canadian National which goes through Sudbury and all that mining district, or the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario railway, which goes through Cobalt, Kirkland lake, up to Timmins, and through all the great gold fields in the province. We are only beginning to develop the mining camps in Ontario; they are growing every day. Gowganda is coming back, and all we want to do is to keep that country for the two publicly owned lines. I believe these two lines will eventually co-operate in some way to cover the whole of that country. If we have made a success of the Canadian National covering the whole continent, cannot we do

better by building our own railway into this territory, into the mining fields of Ontario and Quebec, of Manitoba and the whole west? We are supplying these fields to-day either by the National lines or the provincially owned lines of Ontario, and the people are getting extensions just as fast as they are warranted. I am convinced the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario will build this summer from a terminal called Elk Lake into the Gowganda mining camp, on to Leonard and Shining Tree, and from there to Westree, where they will connect up with the Transcontinental. We do not want any more of these private companies. We have had enough of them. We have had to take up the mess they left, and pay for it. We have got far more miles of railway than we want in this country, simply because we have been over-railroaded and over-exploited by private individuals who came to. parliament and got- charters. So I intend to move, Mr. Chairman, that this bill be sent back to the committee and in that way taken off the order paper. We shall then see w'hat the developments will be in the Red Lake district. If it is shown that there is necessity for this railway it will be built; I have no doubt the Canadian National will build it if the occasion arises. In the meantime the aeroplane service will supply the necessities of that camp in every way. It is already giving a mail and express service, and taking in passengers. They can go in very quickly by aeroplane, whereas t'he journey now takes from two to three days by railway and waterways. I am also told that the Ontario government now have before them plans for the building of a roadway from Hudson right into Red lake. In the meantime let us stop this over-exploitation of railway charters by private individuals. Accordingly I move that we refer this bill back to the committee for further consideration, and that will end the matter for this session.