Ottawa, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada & Transport Canada

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Transport Minister Lisa Raitt today announced that the Government's Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act(Bill C-30) passed third reading in the House of Commons and has been referred to the Senate.

This legislation aims to put into law clear and achievable measures to support a world-class logistics system that gets Canada's agricultural products, and other commodities, to market in a predictable and timely way.

Specifically, through Bill C-30, the Government of Canada is taking immediate, concrete action to get grain moving faster through legislation and regulations designed to: 

• Increase supply chain transparency;
• Strengthen contracts between producers and shippers;
• Better balance accountability in agreements and contracts between shippers and railways; and,
• Help ensure the entire grain handling and transportation system is working efficiently and at top capacity.

Based on the feedback heard at Parliamentary committee, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food passed an amendment to Bill C-30 which would also create the authority for the Canadian Transportation Agency to order a railway to compensate shippers for expenses incurred as a result of a railway's failure to fulfill its service obligations.

Quick Facts

• Bill C-30, introduced in Parliament on March 26, includes amendments to the Canada Transportation Act and the Canada Grain Act, and implements additional measures to help Canadian grain get to market quickly and efficiently, while maintaining a world-class system for transporting goods by rail.
• On March 7, the Government announced an Order in Council (OIC) to take immediate effect, setting out minimum volumes of grain that Canadian National Railway Company and Canadian Pacific Railway Company are each required to move.
• At 76 million tonnes, this year's Western Canadian crop is 50% higher than the 10-year average. This volume is putting significant pressure on Western Canada's grain handling and transportation system. As the Government continues to work with farmers to invest in research and innovation, higher yields will continue to be the new reality across Canada.

Quotes

"Our government is taking action to ensure our grain and other commodities are moving to the marketplace in a predictable and timely manner. Bill C-30 will play an important part in improving Canada's rail logistics supply chain for all commodities and our Government encourages the Senate to review and pass this Bill as quickly as possible."

- Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz

 

"Through this legislation, we have taken strong measures to manage the extraordinary backlog of grain and help the transportation system respond to peak demand in the future. We will continue to work with all parties to make the supply chain as efficient and reliable as we possibly can."

- Transport Minister Lisa Raitt

src:news.gc.ca