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Lac-Megantic lawsuit to include Attorney General of Canada

Smoke rises from railway cars that were carrying crude oil after derailing in downtown Lac Megantic, Que, Saturday, July 6, 2013. The railway safety working group want railways, shippers and producers to assume full liability for accidents and spills of dangerous goods. Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press

MONTREAL – A lawsuit filed in the wake of the Lac-Megantic train disaster is expanding to encompass the Attorney General of Canada.

The lead lawyer alleges the federal government was grossly negligent in its oversight of the railway and that it was aware of the company’s repeated violations.

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New Democrat MP Olivia Chow raised the issue during question period in Parliament on Thursday.

She asked the government to prosecute the rail company involved in the disaster.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said that if there are violations of the Railway Safety Act or the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, there will be prosecutions to the full extent of the law.

A runaway train carrying crude oil derailed last summer and exploded in the centre of the Quebec community, killing 47 people and destroying part of the downtown core.

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