Unifor members held protests across the country to oppose Via Rail Canada's move to award a $989 million contract to a German Company.
Unifor President Jerry Dias says instead of creating jobs to build our economy, Via is betraying Canadian workers and taxpayers who fund the crown corporation.
Unifor launched a petition asking Transport Minister Marc Garneau to protect good Canadian jobs by keeping VIA Rail work in Canada.
Instead, VIA Rail selected Siemens, a German company over Bombardier Inc. for a $989-million contract. Rather than having Canada's fleet of locomotives and cars built here, that work will now be done in California.
Garneau has defended this controversial deal saying free trade agreements would not allow VIA to favour Canadian companies like Bombardier, who could have done this work here in Canada.
"That is nonsense. Garneau has allowed VIA to hide behind trade agreements when we know VIA is an independent crown corporation that could have chosen a Canadian company like Bombardier without showing favouritism," said Dias. "There are many other factors to consider when you decide to put thousands of Canadians out of work with the stroke of a pen."
Canada's passenger rail service needs 32 new trains to maintain capacity, at a time when the union believes it should be expanding service across Canada and creating more jobs in this country's transportation sector.