10 November 2010
Del Mastro Honoured to Fete Last Spike
|
Fred Green, Canadian Pacific President and CEO (left), and Dean Del Mastro, MP for
Peterborough and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage were on hand for the 125th anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike, held at
Craigellachie, B.C., on Sunday 7 Nov 2010. |
Craigellachie British Columbia - Peterborough MP Dean Del Mastro said that aside from the day he
married his wife, he can't think of too many greater honours than representing the government at the 125th anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike on the
country's first transcontinental railway.
Del Mastro took part in the celebrations in Craigellachie, B.C., on Sunday along with Canadian Pacific Railway president and CEO Fred Green and other invited
guests.
It was a celebration of the railway's contribution to the economic viability of the country, said Del Mastro, who has been chairman of the All-Party Rail
Caucus since 2006.
"It's also about what connects us as Canadians. The railway was the first form of infrastructure that ever connected Canada sea to sea," he said.
"It was as much about building a nation as it ever was about building a railway."
Del Mastro has a strong connection to railways that goes beyond the parliamentary group.
His grandfather worked for Canadian Pacific for 47 years as an engineer working on trains at stations.
The railway played a role in the economy, the building of a nation, and in the lives of individual families, Del Mastro said.
"It was built largely by new Canadian settlers," he said.
Del Mastro added that the railway is linked to the history of Peterborough.
The Havelock subdivision, the rail line that stretches between Havelock and Toronto, was part of the main line between Montreal and Toronto when that final
spike was driven into the rail bed to finish the railway 125 years ago, Del Mastro said.
"It was our line that connected from Toronto to the east," he said, pointing out that the Belleville subdivision was created later.
On Friday, Del Mastro revealed that Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore has agreed to declare November 7th as National Railway Day.
Del Mastro and Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal are trying to organize upgrades for the Havelock-to-Toronto rail line to improve freight service and facilitate the
return of commuter rail service.
Both the province and the federal government have put aside $150 million for the project.
Brendan Wedley.
|
