Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to the Alto Crown corporation: (a) how much funding has Alto received from the government since its creation; (b) what is the yearly operating budget of Alto, overall and broken down by type of expenditure; (c) what is Alto's organizational structure; (d) how many employees does Alto have, in total and broken down by position; and (e) what are the details of all contracts over $10,000 signed by Alto to date, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) vendor, (iv) list of goods or services provided, (v) start and end dates, if applicable?

With regard to the Alto high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City (formerly known as VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail project): (a) what are the projected start and completion dates for each major project phase, including the (i) design, (ii) environmental assessment, (iii) permitting, (iv) land acquisition, (v) construction; and (b) what are the corresponding critical-path milestones and target completion dates identified by Transport Canada or Alto (formerly VIA HFR–VIA TGF Inc.)?

With regard to Alto (VIA HFR - VIA TGF Inc.) and passenger rail in Canada: (a) on what basis, studies, and facts was the change made from pursuing high-frequency rail to pursuing high-speed rail; (b) why has the government not pursued legislated passenger rail priority, in general or for VIA Rail specifically, on privately-owned rail infrastructure in Canada along established passenger rail routes; (c) what funding has been provided, broken down by year since 1990, for infrastructure improvements along established VIA Rail passenger rail routes; (d) by what instrument or instruments is the public release of records relating to the 2023 Request for Qualifications restrained; (e) by what instrument or instruments is the public release of intellectual property that is owned by the Government of Canada relating to the 2023 Request for Qualifications restrained; (f) with respect to the 2023 Request for Qualifications, what are the details of the independent corridor alignments, Class 5 cost estimates, ridership forecasts and revenue models, operating cost models, financial structures, financial models, construction schedules, and risk and opportunity registers submitted by each of the three shortlisted consortia; (g) what are the upper and lower capital cost estimates submitted by each of the three shortlisted consortia included in the 2023 Request for Qualifications; (h) what were the conclusions of the analyses conducted before 2023 on the financial viability of high-speed rail proposals for Canada; (i) what are the current estimates of the capital cost, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, and 30-year government subsidy requirement for Alto; (j) what are the most recent estimates of the capital cost, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, and 30-year government subsidy requirement for the high-frequency rail predecessor to Alto; (k) what is the government’s estimate of the risk levels of the Alto project exceeding $90 billion in capital costs and by what amounts; (l) on what basis does the government believe Alto’s annual ridership projections are credible; (m) what are the methodology, sensitivity ranges, and baseline assumptions used for Alto’s annual ridership projections; (n) has Alto or the government commissioned a comparative freezing rain, snow, or ice risk assessment for the proposed Alro routes and, if so, what are the details and conclusions; (o) what is Alto's planned service reliability target under freezing rain conditions; (p) has Alto commissioned a full comparative winter weather cost analysis; (q) what public benchmarking mechanism will exist to detect cost escalation in the co-development phase before it becomes irreversible; and (r) what are the time and cost savings projected for the expedited Expropriation process in Bill C-15 versus standard Expropriation Act procedures?

With regard to the Alto high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City (formerly known as VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail project): (a) what is the incremental cost difference between the previous high-frequency rail concept and the current high-speed rail scope, as referenced in Alto's (formerly VIA HFR–VIA TGF Inc.) document “Fast Forward: Shaping Canada’s Future with a High-Speed Rail Network” (March 2025), broken down by (i) capital civil works, (ii) rolling stock, (iii) electrification and power supply, (iv) property acquisition and land assembly, (v) environmental assessment and permitting, (vi) Indigenous consultation and accommodation, (vii) project management and owner’s costs, (viii) risk or contingency allowances; and (b) what are the corresponding total figures and confidence levels associated with each category in (a)?

With regard to the advertising campaigns of the Crown corporation VIA HFR - VIA TGF Inc., commonly known as Alto, to promote its high-speed rail project along the Quebec City–Windsor corridor, as well as the consultations associated with the implementation of this project: (a) from 2022 to April 15, 2026, what was the amount spent by Alto, including on social media, broken down by (i) campaign, (ii) date of dissemination, (iii) province, (iv) medium, (v) any other form of geographic segmentation; and (b) over the same period, what proportion of the total amount spent went toward promoting the rail project itself and toward informing the public about the consultation process in their region, broken down by (i) campaign, (ii) date of dissemination, (iii) province, (iv) medium, (v) any other form of geographic segmentation?

With regard to government funding to develop and build the Alto high-speed rail network: (a) what is the total federal funding commitment for the projects; (b) what are the details of all funding agreements signed to date related to Alto, including, for each, the (i) date of commitment, (ii) start date of the funding, (iii) end date of the funding, (iv) amount, (v) recipient, (vi) purpose of the funding, (vii) type of funding; (c) for each agreement in (b), how much funding (i) has been delivered to date, (ii) will be provided at a later date; (d) for each agreement, what are the details, including the amounts, of any financial cancellation penalties or liabilities included as part of the terms of the agreement; and (e) other than the penalties and liabilities in (d), are there any other costs that the government has agreed or committed to pay in the event that the project does not proceed, and, if so, what are the details, including the amounts and recipients of such payments?

With regard to the Alto high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City: (a) has the government conducted a financial analysis of the program, and, if so, what were the key findings, including the projected costs, benefits, and any identified risks; (b) if no such analysis has been conducted, what is the rationale for proceeding without one, and are there plans to undertake such an analysis in the future; and (c) what data sources and methodologies were, or would be, used in any financial analysis related to Alto?

With regard to the government's relationship with Alto, the Crown corporation responsible for developing and implementing the High-Speed Rail Initiative between Toronto and Quebec City: (a) what is the total amount paid by the government to Alto in consulting fees since its creation in 2022; (b) what are the amounts of these consulting fees, broken down by (i) fiscal year, (ii) department or agency issuing the payment, (iii) purpose or description of the work, (iv) vendor or subcontractor, where applicable; (c) what internal controls or oversight mechanisms are in place to monitor and approve consulting expenditures by Alto, including any requirements for reporting to Transport Canada or the Minister of Transport; (d) what audits, evaluations or reviews have been conducted regarding Alto's use of consulting services, including the dates, findings and recommendations of each review; and (e) what steps, if any, has the government taken to ensure value for money and prevent excessive reliance on external consultants, to ensure appropriate controls over spending on professional services?

With regard to the Alto high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City (formerly known as VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail project), and the Pre-Development Agreement between Alto (formerly VIA HFR–VIA TGF Inc.) and Projet Cadence Rail s.e.c.: what is the total amount in dollars paid to date and what is the total amount in dollars committed to be paid under the agreement, broken down by (i) fiscal year, (ii) funding source or departmental vote, (iii) deliverable category or milestone (preliminary design, engineering studies, consultation activities, permitting work, or management services)?