A VIA Rail train sits idle at the train station in Churchill, Man., on June 22, 2017. The Canadian Press/Alex de Vries
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The federal budget omnibus bill would allow VIA Rail to expropriate land from Canadians without going through the normal procedural steps in order to build a long-planned high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City.
Current rules outlined in the Expropriation Act require a railway company to make a purchase offer and attempt to negotiate when taking private property for public use, but the new law would remove this requirement entirely.
Matthew Horwood is a reporter based in Ottawa.
