OTTAWA – Faced with well-organized anger from prairie shippers about proposed transportation deregulation legislation, newly minted transport minister David Anderson last week assumed the hot seat in the middle of the controversy.
As the only western minister in the last cabinet to openly reject grain and other commodity shipper complaints that the proposed law favored rail companies, the British Columbia Liberal MP takes the job with some political baggage.
Still, grain shipper spokesperson Murray Bryck from Saskatchewan Wheat Pool said last week Anderson will be given the benefit of the doubt.
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“It will be on his plate and we will do what we can to convince him to amend the legislation,” the executive assistant to the Saskatchewan Pool president said.
“We will deal with him directly and in conjunction with our allies. But it will be a two-pronged approach. We will give him a chance to get a better understanding of it.”
And Anderson, within minutes of his swearing in as Canada’s new transport minister Jan. 25, was suggesting he is prepared to give shippers another audience.
Late last year, a coalition of commodity shippers joined to plead with Parliament to amend the proposed Canada Transport Act. They want to give shippers more appeal rights when faced with what they consider poor service or excessive pricing by quasi-monopoly rail carriers.
They received little comfort from former transport minister Doug Young and the pro-railway Liberal majority on the Commons transport committee.
Anderson, who shifted to the portfolio from national revenue last week, agreed to listen to them, but made no promises.
“It is important to recognize that transportation is very important to the West and it is important to get our transportation policies right from the point of view of western shippers, western tourism and it is particularly true with British Columbia,” he told reporters moments after being appointed to the job.
In fact, in his first meeting with reporters as transport minister, the Victoria MP was anxious to portray this appointment as a boon for his province.
He was anxious to stress how important it is to trade-dependent British Columbia and the port and airport of Vancouver.
“We are the gateway to the Pacific and I am very pleased this portfolio has come my way.
“I think it will be very helpful for me and the people I represent.”
Bryck made it clear prairie commodity shippers soon will try to expand his definition of who he represents to include them.
Debate to resume
The legislation, still not approved by the Commons, is expected to be back for debate later this month when Parliament resumes, unless the session is ended and a new session started.
That would kill all legislation not yet approved, including transportation deregulation. It would have to be reintroduced by the government, to go through debate and hearings again.
