CFA - Canadian Federation of Agriculture -

Demand a railway grain transportation costing review

Dear fellow producer:

Let's urge the federal government to put farmers first when it comes to railway transportation of our grain. The stakes are high and we can't afford to wait. Please join our campaign.

Using the form below, you can send an e-mail postcard to Transport Minister John Baird, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and your local MP. Please fill in your name and e-mail address, then choose your riding from the drop-down menu.

For more information, please click here to read the Mar. 25 news release and the backgrounder.

Postcard

I am a Canadian farmer. I’m frustrated that the two big railways earn far more from grain than they would in a competitive, free-enterprise climate – solely because we’re captive to their lines. I want the railways to remain profitable, but they are taking advantage of the lack of competition. This has gone too far.

The rail revenue cap on grain freight is the only remaining discipline. But it’s based on outdated cost figures from 1992, when there were many more Prairie elevators for the railways to service.

Farmers need an immediate rail costing review to ensure that our rates are based on today’s ACTUAL costs. This is a reasonable request. Bill C-8 and the industry-wide service review are good steps forward. But they’re not near enough to address my concerns about grain transportation.

I want to know that you will put farmers first. We need a costing review AND a service review. The two big railways are taking advantage of farmers' captive position to reap hundreds of millions of dollars in extra profits -- far more than they'd ever make in a competitive free-enterprise environment.

A message from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Canadian Wheat Board, the National Farmers' Union, Keystone Agricultural Producers, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers and the BC Agriculture Council.