Regulation can drain resources. There is a need for it in transportation, but too much of it results in inefficiency. This conference is a step forward in helping provide managers of Air Canada, CN, etc., the information they require to run their companies efficiently. More remains to be done. The politics of Canada seem to interfere in all businesses, but nowhere more than in the transportation sector.
Foreign ownership needs to be debated.
Monopolies lead to heavy regulation, which leads to inefficiency and a high cost to consumers. In competing with the Americans, Canadians need freedom and greater scope. Whether Canadians like it or not, we are moving to a continental system. The provincial and federal governments need to work together, particularly on trucking and highway issues, to meet this challenge. There are two important realities for the Canadian transportation sector.