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July 6th, 2019

NDP Statement on the 6th anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy

Jagmeet Singh, Leader of Canada’s NDP, issued the following statement:

It’s been six years since the tragedy in Lac-Mégantic, but residents are still recovering from the fiery train derailment that destroyed their town centre and took the lives of 47 people.

On behalf of New Democrats, I would like to assure all those affected by this tragedy that our thoughts are with you, today and every day, as you continue to heal from this disaster.

It’s deeply sad that it took a tragedy of this magnitude to remind Canadians of the need for stricter rail regulations. The NDP continues to call for an inquiry into the longstanding problems with our country’s rail safety measures, especially in regards to the transportation of dangerous goods.

Although the Liberal government chose to maintain the voluntary arrangements with rail companies that were established by the Conservatives before them and which removed some much needed risk assessment inspections, we continue to fight. Voluntary agreements will not protect Canadians from another tragedy like this one.

It’s been six years and there may be a new rail bypass around the Lac-Mégantic community, but that will not erase people’s memory of that heartbreaking night. What their community needed, and which we still need, are stricter rail safety standards to ensure that people stop paying the price of political inaction through the senseless loss of lives.