No. VIA Rail Canada will remain a Crown corporation owned by all Canadians. High Frequency Rail will dramatically expand and improve passenger rail service in Canada. Under this collaborative model, VIA HFR has been established to act as a strong public sector counterpart to a private-sector partner. It will enter into a contract with this partner to design the HFR and, if the government accepts the design proposal, to enter into a long-term contract to build HFR, and operate and maintain passenger rail service in the Québec City to Toronto corridor. That contract will require the private-sector development partner to respect the contracts VIA Rail Canada has established with the unions representing its employees. The Government of Canada will retain ownership of VIA Rail, its assets, and VIA HFR. As part of this process, the Government of Canada will require any private-sector development partner to respect VIA Rail Canada’s collective agreements and benefits, and to demonstrate how they will work with VIA Rail’s employees and unions. These criteria will be mandatory and any proposal that does not meet them will be deemed unacceptable by the Government of Canada. The Canada Labour Code compels the private-sector development partner to employ unionized employees on the terms and conditions of applicable collective agreements at the time of their transfer. It also ensures the basic premise of continuity in the employment conditions of non-unionized employees that would transfer into the High Frequency Rail project. Furthermore, in addition to the legal obligations under the Canada Labour Code, contractual obligations to ensure such continuity could also be imposed on the employer in the contract, including an obligation to employ any employees whose employment would not be automatically transferred by operation of law. As a federally regulated employer, other notable federal legislation pertaining to workers includes the Accessibility Act and Employment Equity Act. The Government of Canada will ensure that the public interest is maintained, for example, through an equitable fare policy and minimum service requirements for local communities. More details on the transition of operations to the private sector will become available over time and at key decision milestones, such as following the Request for Proposals and the co-development phase.