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Lac-Mégantic was the result of The Harper Government cutting Red tape. So what the hell did I just watch on CBC?

Jason Pugh Jul 6, 2023

What the hell did I just watch on CBC?

A reporter just contradicted herself by saying that people don’t think enough has been done by the Trudeau government since the tragic incident. She then played a clip by an engineer saying as much and then proceeded, without giving proper context, to say there have been changes.

“There no longer are one-man crews.” – Yes, as there was when the incident that claimed 47 lives happened. However, the critical information left out of this segment is that it likely would not have occurred had there been two engineers present to shut down the train.

Why weren’t there two engineers?

Well, that’s because The Harper Government cut “red tape” and allowed self-regulation by the companies.

So, in their wisdom, they cut it down to just one engineer to save money.

Public safety must trump red-tape cutting

“On July 23, at the urging of the Transportation Safety Board, Transport Canada issued an emergency directive that requires rail operators shipping hazardous goods to make sure two qualified persons are on board, and to not leave trains unattended on a main line. Braking requirements were also tightened.

The Harper government, in particular, views regulation mainly as costly “red tape” that unnecessarily raises business costs. Indeed, a major component of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, as announced in 2012 and now in force, is a “Red Tape Reduction Plan.””

The Conservatives eliminated the “gatekeepers” and blew up an entire town. However after the disaster they brought back the regulation to have two engineers.

Here’s the Transportation Safety Board of Canada Report:

Lac-Mégantic runaway train and derailment investigation summary

Yet this is what just played on CBC:

What impression would this give most viewers? That this is somehow about the current Prime Minister without any mention of the government of the day and their direct responsibility.

Since posting the above tweet people have reacted:

Pete Dako (@petedako):

Cynthia (@Tintie4):

Bob Nuefeld (@Bobnuefer):

Incredible to watch such spin happen live on TV.

Hey, Canadian media. Do better.

Jason Pugh

Jason Pugh

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