Perhaps I am easily impressed or my standards are low because I am used to Amtrak. But, I found Via Rail to be efficient, pleasant, and fast. Getting on and off the trains, there were workers to greet us and make sure we knew where we were going. They were very friendly and helpful, where as on Amtrak you are sort of afraid that anyone you ask a question to is going to drill master an answer back to you.
We took the train from Montreal to Quebec City. It went quite fast, no delays. Amazing what can happen in a country where the rail system is actually funded by the government as opposed to the US where Amtrak is left begging for scraps and is forced to rent space on private rail lines often shared with industrial fleets.
The cars were well lit and clean. They came through with a drink car. How civilized.
My only negative comment is that the seats are assigned. So if you are sitting behind someone who is sneezing or hacking up a lung you cannot change seats. The benefit to the assigned seats is you don't have to deal with the Amtrak experience of the person who is taking up two seats and pretending to sleep while listening to head phones so you cannot possibly bother them to actually move and give you their other seat.