Poilievre Pledges to Cancel Toronto-Quebec High-Speed Rail

In Peterborough, Ontario, on March 31, 2026, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged to cancel a proposed high-speed rail project connecting Toronto and Quebec City if his party forms the next federal government, describing the initiative as a costly waste of taxpayer money.

The project, overseen by the Crown corporation Alto, envisions a 1,000-kilometer electric rail network with dedicated tracks allowing trains to reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. It includes seven planned stops: Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Laval, Montreal, Trois-Rivieres, and Quebec City. Officials estimate the full line will cost between 60 billion and 90 billion Canadian dollars, with construction on the initial phase linking Montreal and Ottawa slated to begin in 2029 or 2030. That segment would serve as a pilot for the broader system, which aims to reduce travel times significantly, such as cutting the Toronto-to-Montreal journey to three hours and the Montreal-to-Ottawa trip to under one hour.

Poilievre, speaking alongside local Members of Parliament, argued the project would disrupt communities through land expropriations, particularly affecting farmland and rural areas without...