A proposed high-speed rail network carrying a price tag of up to $90 billion will transform daily life for millions of Canadians, according to Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, even as construction has yet to begin and final costs remain unknown.Appearing before the House of Commons finance committee, MacKinnon defended the federal government's ambitious rail proposal, arguing it would create new transportation options for residents of Ontario and Quebec while generating significant economic benefits.“We indeed will have an exciting transformational project to propose to Canadians that will change life as we know it for literally 40% of the population of this country,” MacKinnon told MPs. “A corridor with new worlds of intercity travel.”Blacklock's Reporter saiad the project, to be operated by Crown corporation Alto, would see electrified passenger trains travelling at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour between Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Laval, Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City.Despite the project's scale, no completion date has been established. A Transport Canada briefing note dated June 16 estimated total costs could range from $60 billion to $90 billion.MacKinnon acknowledged substantial engineering work remains before a final price tag can be determined..Conservative MP Jasraj Hallan asked whether the minister could guarantee the project would not exceed $90 billion.“I can confirm there’s a lot of engineering left to do,” MacKinnon replied.The minister compared the project to building a house, suggesting costs depend on the final design and scope.“I think people know intuitively that when you talk about building a house, well, a house can take many forms and a house can contain many things,” he said.Hallan, a former homebuilder, challenged the comparison.“I was a homebuilder in my previous life,” he said. “We’d never gone over budget because it was the responsible thing to do, unlike your government which has a track record.”The exchange also highlighted how little physical progress has been made on the project.When Hallan asked how many metres of track had been laid, MacKinnon responded: “None.”The Conservative MP then questioned why millions of dollars in bonuses had already been paid to Alto employees despite the lack of construction.“Can you tell us why $3 million in bonuses have been given out?” Hallan asked.“It is a Crown corporation,” MacKinnon replied. “They follow the Treasury Board guidelines for performance management.”.Government records tabled in the House of Commons on June 1 show Alto paid $2,758,968 in bonuses to 134 employees during the 2025-26 fiscal year.The figures were released in response to a written question from Opposition House Leader Andrew Scheer, who requested details on bonuses awarded at Crown corporations.To date, Ottawa has committed $4.3 billion toward planning and preparatory work for the high-speed rail venture.The Department of Transport has also assured parliamentarians the project will remain on budget despite growing concerns over costs and delays that have plagued other major government infrastructure projects.In a written response to the Senate national finance committee, Transport Canada stated it would ensure the high-speed rail initiative “stays within budget, avoids major delays and manages performance risks across all phases.”
