The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is still pushing to meet with federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau to discuss grain movement, although it and other organizations have met with the agriculture minister on the topic.
CFA president Ron Bonnett said Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay is an ally at the cabinet table, but Garneau should meet directly with farmers.
CFA had asked for a meeting in March, and finally got a reply in June saying Garneau was unavailable.
Then came the news that the roundtables Garneau was hosting on the Canada Transportation Act review would conclude July 21 with only Pulse Canada and Prairie Oat Growers Association in attendance.
Read Also
Alberta farm lives up to corn capital reputation
Farm to Table Tour highlighting to consumers where their food comes from features Molnar Farms which grows a large variety of market fruits and vegetables including corn, with Taber being known as the Corn Capital of Canada.
“I don’t think there’s a real recognition by the transport minister how critical this issue is for grain farmers,” Bonnett said.
The grain backlog of 2013-14 was the driving factor behind the review, and both the Saskatchewan and Manitoba agriculture ministers have said producers must be consulted.
Transport Canada did not reply when asked why more farm organizations weren’t invited to the roundtables or if more meetings would be planned.
However, Agriculture Canada said MacAulay held separate roundtables with 13 organizations July 18, including the CFA, Cereals Canada, the Canadian Canola Growers Association and provincial organizations.
Cereals Canada president Cam Dahl said that was a productive meeting with a common message from the commodities and general organizations.
“The overwhelming top priority is the need to address railway accountability and market power,” he said.
Dahl said Cereals Canada has shared its response and concerns about the transport review directly with both ministers, but he didn’t say whether the organization was miffed at being left out of the roundtable process.
Grain Growers of Canada declined to comment at all.
Bonnett said producers have to get in front of the appropriate ministers before decisions are made.
Pulses and oats are only two commodities, he added.
“I think you’ve got to get into the major commodities like canola and wheat to really get to the heart of the issue of what the concerns are with rail shipments of grain,” he said.
“Service levels are basically non-existent. There was the Emerson report that skated around some of the issues but didn’t really give definitive guidance to the minister.”
He said grain shipments are a mainstay for the railways, while potash and oil shipments are “gravy.”
“Paying the bills year in and year out, grain is the big player,” he said.
The CFA is discussing its concerns with other organizations and has sent another letter to Garneau requesting a meeting.
“It’s good that MacAulay is there because we need other supporting partners around the cabinet table, but I think the minister (Garneau) should have contacted the grain sector and the western producers,” he said.
Online consultations on the review continue until Sept. 16. Transport Canada has not said it would extend that deadline for prairie grain farmers busy with a harvest that could be 74 million tonnes.
