The West greeted the news that the United States had approved the Alaska to Alberta railway (A2A) with excitement. The project if completed would be a fantastic economic boon to the entire West in every industry.

With new rail access to a deep water port, every industry would be able to broaden their export markets. From potash to lumber to wheat to oil along with a great tourism route, the A2A offered tremendous potential.

Not only could the West increase the export of raw and finished goods, we could import goods. This would lead to a reduced consumer cost of living and with our central location in North America, we could potentially become a distribution hub for imported products throughout the entire continent. Winnipeg is already well placed for such a role.

Unfortunately the Laurentian elite in Ottawa see this as a threat to Central Canadian control and they have moved swiftly to kill this project in its tracks.

Justin Trudeau openly mused that he will be using Bill C-69 (the pipeline killing bill), in order to kill A2A. The threat in is quote is pretty clear: “Whether there is a potential for a project, before the procurement goes too far down the round and invests too much money in it, in something that is unlikely to pass,”

Essentially, Justin Trudeau is telling investors not to put money into the A2A project because it won’t be able to withstand the ridiculous conditions for approval in Bill C-69. The chilling effect alone on investment should be enough to kill this project. Trudeau won’t even need to use C-69.

Who in their right mind would invest billions into a project when the nations Prime Minister is saying it won’t be approved?

Say goodbye to the Alaska to Alberta rail line idea folks. It was nice while it lasted.