APAS President Norm Hall called today on Federal Transport Minister Garneau to follow through on Liberal Party commitments to consult directly with prairie producers on rail transportation provisions in the Canadian Transportation Act review.

West Central Online chatted with Norm about the latest developments, and Norm was visibly upset with how things had been handled up to date. Norm noted a meeting in Calgary in June 20th with some representatives from the Ministry of Transport. The representatives informed Norm that the consultations were all but done. Mr. Hall stated not he or other producer organizations were contacted or consulted about which concerns they had with the Federal Transportation Act. Norm wrote a personal letter to Ralph Goodale, as he is Saskatchewan's only Liberal, seeking help in getting to the table with the Transportation Minister. He then stated they've set up a meeting on September 6th in Winnipeg, when he noted most producers would be out in the field, assuming the weather wasn't inclement. Mr. Hall concluded he just wants for producers in the region to get a fair shake with the way their grain is transported. 

“Today, producer groups had an opportunity to meet with Agriculture Minister MacAulay and Minister Goodale to briefly discuss our policy priorities for the CTA Review. We respectfully request the same opportunity to meet with Minister Garneau and his officials on this crucial consultation” Hall said today.” This would be consistent with federal Liberal election commitments, and the Prime Minister’s mandate letter, for the Minister to consult with producers.”

The Liberal Party response to the APAS 2015 Federal Election questionnaire contains the following commitment:

As soon as the (CTA) review report is available, the reaction and advice of grain producers needs to be sought on an urgent basis. The goal of a Trudeau-led Liberal government will be competent, forward-looking system that is competitive, transparent, accountable and geared for growth. Since producers always end up paying all the costs, their interests need to be effectively represented in the system’s design and operation.

“To date, that commitment has yet to be met”, Hall continued “Transport Canada consultations on the CTA Review are set to conclude on September 16, which is very bad timing for prairie producers given harvest, and producer groups have yet to meet with the Transport Minister despite repeated requests.”

“The stakes in this discussion are very high for producers”, Hall concluded,” we are totally dependent on a virtual monopoly to transport our grain, and proper regulation of the rail system is essential for our industry.” 

For the Liberal's commitment, click here.

For the full audio interview with APAS Norm Hall, click below.