Six Years on from the Train Explosion in Lac-Mégantic
A Shocking Account of Criminal Negligence
The report and interview in this issue of Renewal Update provide a shocking account of the criminal negligence of governments and the self-regulating railway companies.
The terrible memory of what happened in Lac-Mégantic is still fresh in people’s minds, with local residents still reeling from the experience. Current developments are yet another indictment of the decision-making process controlled by interests over which the people exercise no control whatsoever. Now more derailments have taken place around Lac-Mégantic and the tracks are still not being maintained or overhauled as required and Transport Canada refuses to assume responsibility. This is what happens when the people and their concerns are sidelined as is being done in this federal election. It reveals why it is urgent for the workers and people living in communities on rail lines to be able to exercise their veto without repercussions when their lives are so directly threatened.
The condition of railway tracks is definitely a matter of national security. So is the matter of who controls the decision-making power. The situation of Lac-Mégantic reveals the need to provide the conception of national security with a modern definition which does not serve nefarious ends while the security of the people is put at risk every day. This deserves discussion in the election as rail transportation has grown exponentially all over the country, along with the risks that come with it, especially where there are other factors like the grade that makes Lac-Mégantic so treacherous.
It is important to publicize the actions the people in the community of Lac-Mégantic are planning to take and call on everyone to support them. The justice of their cause is definitely an election issue.
This article was published in:
Renewal Update No. 10, September 13, 2019
Article Link:
A Shocking Account of Criminal Negligence
