Green Party Leader Elizabeth May speaks at the kick off to her party's 2019 federal election campaign at a hotel event in Victoria. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May speaks at the kick off to her party's 2019 federal election campaign at a hotel event in Victoria. Jesse Winter/Star Metro

The Green Party has promised to develop a national transportation strategy and to use existing Canada Post infrastructure to enhance rural services.

Speaking to reporters and supporters in Sackville, N.B., party leader Elizabeth May said that rural travel has become more difficult with reduced Via Rail services and cancelled bus routes in B.C., Saskatchewan and the Maritimes. A Green government, May said, will implement new legislation dubbed the Via Rail Act, which will lead to Ottawa investing $600 million in 2020-21 to develop regional rail networks, and to aim for zero-carbon public transportation by 2040.

“People living in rural and remote communities have virtually no access to public transportation,” May said. “This is unacceptable.”

May said many Canadians rely on Via Rail service as inter-city bus routes dry up, noting the cancellation of Greyhound service across western Canada. She said that train service needs be on time and daily, adding that in some cities, trains only leave every couple of days.

“We’re running, essentially, an antique railway,” she said.

To fix this, May said a Green government would build more tracks so Via Rail trains are not held up by freight trains and would travel on schedule. The party plans to use the railways primarily, with spokes of light rail and electric bus connections to achieve a national transportation strategy.

May also nodded to the recommendations of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, saying lack of public transportation forces people to hitchhike, putting them in vulnerable situations.

The Liberal government in June pledged $71.1 million to help push forward Via Rail’s proposal for a high-frequency rail corridor stretching from Toronto to Quebec City. The proposed $4-billion high-frequency rail project would see Via Rail construct its own dedicated rail line along the corridor, allowing for faster and more frequent service. Trains in the region currently run on tracks shared with cargo vehicles.

READ MORE: Liberals pledge $71.1-million to explore Via Rail’s proposed high-frequency rail project

A Green government would also implement a host of services for rural communities using existing Canada Post infrastructure, said May, adding that Canada Post can be made financially stable by diversifying its services. Postal door-to-door services will be reinstated, postal carries will check on people with mobility issues, and Canada Post will establish banking services in remote regions, she said.

The party also plans to use Canada Post offices for public high-speed internet access and community meetings. The Canada Post fleet will be upgraded to electric vehicles under a Green government, according to May.

“It is doable, it’s within our budget,” she said, adding that the budget for the Green platform will be released Wednesday and include cost estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Officer.