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The Liberals are full steam ahead on the $90 billion Alto high-speed rail line that handed out millions in bonuses for a train that doesn’t exist yet.

Crown corporation Alto paid out nearly $3 million in performance bonuses to 134 officials, years before construction is set to begin, while Canadian families are crushed by inflation, housing costs and record taxation.

The Alto high-speed rail fantasy is proposed to connect Toronto and Quebec City sometime in the next five years, with construction slated to begin in 2029. Transport Minister Steve McKinnon confirmed earlier this year that once this mega-project is approved, expropriation of private property will begin “almost immediately.”

“Almost immediately”

That’s how fast Transport Minister Steve McKinnon says private property could be seized after approval of the ALTO high-speed rail

Expropriation of pristine farmland and private hunting land, for a $90B megaproject that won’t be on time or on budget pic.twitter.com/mSWNVzr9nv

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) February 26, 2026

Despite no tracks being laid and a clear plan still in development, there have already been plenty of taxpayer-funded payouts.

A new Order Paper Question response from the Minister of Transport shows some of those jaw-dropping numbers.

For the 2025-26 fiscal year, Alto dished out $2.76 million in bonuses to 100% (yes, every single one) of its 134 officials – 18 executives or above and 116 others.

That’s over $1.23 million to executives, averaging out to over $68 000 each, in bonuses.

Another $1.53 million in bonuses went to regular staff; but for what? Meetings? Consultations? Photo-ops?

Perhaps the all-expenses-paid public consultations “open houses” that spanned Quebec and South Eastern Ontario from January to March of this year.

This is part of the massive cash already poured into what’s being called a doomed-to-fail project.

The Liberals, under then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, announced an 'investment in the co-development phase' of this electric rail project to the tune of $3.9 billion over six years, starting 2024-25. That’s in addition to the nearly $372 million put into it from Budget 2024.

That’s billions committed before anyone has seen a tangible infrastructure plan.

The total projected cost is estimated at $60 to $90 billion.

Your money. Their bonuses.

Hundreds of upset farmers and landowners showed up to various Alto open houses, speaking out against the expropriation of prime farmland, private property and protected land… all ripped up by this behemoth, destroying livelihoods in the process.

Conservative MP Philip Lawrence has been on the ground with these communities, calling out the lack of transparency and the ballooning costs.

Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has been clear – this is a waste of taxpayer dollars when we can’t even fix existing VIA Rail or roads and bridges. Why force a vanity bullet train on people who don’t want it and can’t afford it?

These millions in bonuses for an imaginary project leave rural Canadians footing the bill and dealing with all the disruption that comes along with it.

Living in a constant state of uncertainty, left in limbo, wondering if their land will be seized and pausing home or land development plans indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the urban crowd gets to show up for the ribbon-cuttings down the line.

It’s increasingly clear that this public-private partnership is enriching the pockets of well-connected Liberal insiders. There are major players involved in the ‘consortium’ overseeing the project, such as AtkinsRéalis, which is scandal-clad SNC Lavalin rebranded.

When one really breaks it down, the insiders win no matter what happens. Millions in bonuses now and billions guaranteed later.