Key grain industry players are being summoned to Winnipeg by the federal government July 25 to begin planning a more glitch-free grain transportation system.
And the federal agriculture minister says the time for acrimonious debate or vague promises of “best efforts” is past.
“I will not be satisfied in the long run, and the problems will not be fixed, unless we see more than a best intentions commitment,” Lyle Vanclief said July 17. “That will not be good enough. We need a concrete plan to make sure the grain moves this winter.”
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He said the industry will be asked to present government with a plan later in the summer that will ensure the grain hauling system works better this winter than it did last winter when sales were lost and millions of dollars in demurrage charges rung up because grain was slow getting to ships waiting at west coast ports.
The gathering in Winnipeg will throw together more than 20 representatives of the grain haulers, handlers and growers and the three federal cabinet ministers with a stake in the issue – Canadian Wheat Board minister Ralph Goodale, agriculture minister Vanclief and rookie transportation minister David Collenette.
The federal notice sent out to the industry last week also indicates the ministers will be looking for suggestions on whether the scheduled 1999 review of the grain freight rate cap contained in the Canada Transportation Act should be started earlier as part of a broader reform of grain transportation rules.
