PORT HOOD, N.S., —  This picturesque village on the west coast of Cape Breton is home to slapshot hotshot Al MacInnis as well as Canadian Idol finalist Mitch MacDonald.

And now, Cape Breton MP Roger Cuzner thinks he can make the town even more popular by establishing a ferry link between it and Souris, on the shore of P.E.I.

Cuzner introduced a petition in the House of Commons last week to establish the link and locals on both sides of the Northumberland Strait seem think it’s a good idea—they’ve been lobbying for almost 40 years.

Experts, however, say they shouldn’t count their chickens quite yet.

According to Transcontinental News Services, as good as the idea might sound, it doesn’t have much support from folks in the ferry industry.

"It is a difficult issue because the Canada Marine Act clearly identifies that there are only two types of ferry service that will receive funding and subsidy from the federal government and they are those covered by confederation agreements," Cuzner says.

These include the ferry between Cape Breton and Newfoundland, and those that provide service to remote locations.

The only way a Port Hood-to-Souris ferry would happen is if a private operator would come on board and say ‘yes this would be a
feasible line.’ "But I haven’t talked to anyone in the industry that sees this as happening," he says.

Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay of P.E.I. says he is very much in support of the idea and is looking forward to any discussion when it happens.

"Yes, I support it fully, but my theory is that this crowd [the Harper government] is more interested in taking away ferry service from Islanders than creating anything new," he said.

Cape Breton residents believe a ferry between the two localities would inject millions of dollars into the local economy to create jobs  and stem the tide of out-migration.

“It’d be more for tourists than trucks,” the manager of the local Ceilidh Co-op in Port Hood told todaystrucking.com. “And it’d sure be nice to have some tourists come in. But a ferry like that’ll be a long time coming.”