Sorrow for Lac- Mégantic

We cannot imagine the agony the people of Lac- Mégantic, Que., are going through after a runaway train laden with oil tore through their small town and shattered lives forever. One instant, peace and quiet; another moment, tragedy and destruction beyond compare. No words can really capture the deep sense of horror and sorrow Canadians feel at this confounding tragedy, so let us simply say that our hearts go out to the 6,000 residents of Lac- Mégantic. We mourn with them and we share in their loss. We will keep them in our prayers.

At a time like this, there are more questions than answers. How could something like this happen? And how can we ensure that no other Canadian town has to go through this again? We are sure the authorities will spare no effort to get to the bottom of this, and in time, we will find the answers.

What we do know is that the parked train was hauling 72 tankers loaded with more than 100,000 litres of oil each, and questions will be asked — and rightly so — about how we transport fuel, oil and other materials that are dangerous but nevertheless vital to our economy and our lives. With the knowledge that the movement of highly flammable materials such as oil by road could cause utter mayhem in the case of a crash, rail has become the safer mode of transportation. About 230,000 barrels of oil are transported by rail in North America every day, and while the safety record is stellar, it takes one accident of this magnitude to make the heart stop.

In a modern economy, we cannot stop rail transportation, but we can ask tough questions and hold people accountable. That’s the least we can do for the people of Lac- Mégantic.