Fifth anniversary of Lac-Mégantic tragedy: Hold rail monopolies and governments accountable!

By Pierre Chénier

 July 6, 2018 marks the fifth anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy, one of the worst train disasters in Canadian history. On the evening of March 5, the Mégantic community participated in a silent march that ended at the cemetery where many of the victims of the tragedy are buried.

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Who owns Amtrak?

The name Amtrak comes from a combination of “American” and “track.” The USA does not have a national passenger rail system, let alone a publicly-owned system.

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) is a government-owned corporation established as a product of the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, to provide intercity passenger train service throughout the United States. It was created by the Richard Nixon presidency largely to protect the private railroads (today’s Class I freight railroads) from their obligation of having to run money-losing passenger routes. The U.S. government owns the preferred stock while private rail companies, including Canadian Pacific and Canadian Rail, own the common stock. Later the Congress stripped preferred shares of voting rights and any liquidation preference, effectively leaving common shareholders in control. Curiously, there has never been a shareholder’s meeting.

‘America First’: Washington train disaster shows grim reality of Trump’s concept of ‘security’

The abnegation of social responsibility by the US government and media | TONY SEED

This morning a train went off the tracks while crossing a highway bridge in Washington State. Train cars can be seen teetering off of the tracks and curling onto the highway on one side and a forested area on the other. Washington Gov Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency, noting in his proclamation “significant structural damage to the overpass, railway and highway infrastructure” and saying the combined effects of the derailment and road closures amounted to a “public disaster”. In a separate statement he called the derailment a “serious and ongoing emergency,” saying his office was still gathering information from Amtrak. Seventy-seven people have reportedly been hospitalized while the number of fatalities is being described as “multiple.” 

Billions in state funds for transportation corridors to serve US-dominated empire-building

Federal government marches further into dead end of nation-wrecking. The working class is determined to affirm its right to build the new! Report from WORKERS’ FORUM

Transport Canada has announced another $2.1 billion of state funds for the Trade and Transportation Corridors Initiative to serve the global oligopolies and their control of the Canadian and international economy.[1]

A Ministry press release on July 4 states the Trade and Transportation Corridors Initiative is “[to] build stronger, more efficient transportation corridors to international markets…. Canadian businesses will be able to better compete, grow and create even more jobs well into the future.”

Day of working class unity and struggle in defence of the rights of all!

• Statement of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist)
• A Time to Think About Concrete Solutions to the Problems the Workers Face – Peggy Askin
• The Neo-liberal Ideological and Institutional Basis for the Negation of Workers’ Rights – Pierre Chénier

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends militant revolutionary greetings to all the working people across the country on the occasion of May Day 2016 as well as to the workers in all countries demonstrating on this day. May Day is always a time to think about the struggles the workers have waged in the past year and continue to wage in defence of their rights and the rights of all. It is a time to raise the demands of the workers’ movement and accept the challenges the workers face in the coming year.

China home to 60 per cent of world’s high-speed rail

Pictured is a high-speed train connecting Datong, Shanxi Province to Xi’an,Shaanxi Province during a trial run at Yongji North Station | people.cn

By Zhang Mengxu (People’s Daily)

Despite the continuous queries of foreign media on China’s high-speed railway cooperation with neighbouring countries, the nation’s improved technology has earned China-made equipment more global recognition. Data shows that China is now home to more than 60 per cent of the world’s high-speed railways (HSR).

Maritime strategy of the Quebec Liberals: Serving the interests of the United States of North American monopolies

For your information: two articles on the Maritime Strategy of Quebec – the latest plan of the ruling circles to build infrastructure and establish Gateways and Trade Corridors across Canada to facilitate the transportation of energy resources and manufactured goods to North America, Europe and Asia.

The Couillard government promotes its Maritime Strategy.

By LOUIS LANG

The statements of the Couillard Liberals promise economic growth and thousands of jobs all over Quebec. In fact, it would seem that what is being proposed is a new version of the Security Prosperity Partnership (SPP). The SPP, in which the Paul Martin government was involved, was a plan integrating the Canadian, U.S. and Mexican economies into the United States of North American Monopolies. This was to form a trade and military bloc in the inter-imperialist striving over control of world markets, spheres of influence, cheap labour and resources and zones for the export of capital. The Maritime Strategy being put forward by the Quebec Couillard government as a “pivotal project“ to develop the economy of Quebec is not a plan to build an independent national economy for the benefit of the people of Quebec but rather it is to put the resources and transportation infrastructure of Quebec in the service of North American monopolies.