He called the Estey report a framework, a compass, a policy umbrella, and compared it to a skeleton now needing “some meat on the bones.”
But after almost five months of persistent lobbying by those who like and those who don’t like the report’s contentious recommendations about grain transportation reform, the federal transport minister has given the nod to the Estey review.
David Collenette announced last week that the federal government wants to bring in legislation to create a more commercial, reliable system, as described in the report of retired justice Willard Estey.
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Estey spent nearly a year preparing his report, which was given to government late last year. Collenette said he hopes to have reforms in place by Aug. 1, 2000.
But first, he has named another “eminent person” to determine how to turn Estey’s ideas into reality.
Retired public servant Arthur Kroeger, best-known on the Prairies for his work in dismantling the Crowsnest Pass freight rate as deputy minister of transport, has been given until Sept. 30 to work with grain industry leaders and farmers on plans for the reforms.
Collenette said everyone seems to agree reforms are needed. He acknowledged there are divergent opinions on the Estey report, but added he received slightly more comments favoring the report than panning it.
Last week he brought together a who’s who of farm groups and the grain industry in Winnipeg to encourage them to persevere with the reforms, employing good will and co-operation.
“We have an opportunity before us to learn from history, to learn from experience and to learn from justice Estey’s report,” said Collenette. “It is time to hammer out some consensus.”
Just about all of the 21 farmers and industry leaders who commented on the announcement at Collenette’s May 12 news conference said they agree reforms must lead to farmers paying less for handling and transportation.
Predictably, industry leaders and farmers at the meeting who support the move toward a commercial system welcomed Kroeger’s appointment and congratulated Collenette for moving ahead on this issue.
Others were more cautious.
But the minister left opponents of the report little room to further advance their opinions.
“The process we are starting here today should not be construed as an opportunity to re-open the Estey report,” said Collenette.
Flexible boundaries
Reaching back to his childhood for an analogy, Collenette compared the grain industry to a cartoon character who, when trapped in a box, tests its somewhat flexible boundaries.
“Boxes can be sort of pushed,” said Collenette, comparing the Estey report to a box, and adding it’s up to Kroeger to determine how far the box can be pushed.
Collenette noted Estey believes his ideas cannot be “cherry-picked” if the system is to be improved.
But the minister did not insist that each of Estey’s 15 recommendations result in reforms. He said “time will tell” whether Estey’s all-or-nothing theory holds up.
Several recommendations will be dealt with separately from Kroeger’s review, said Collenette.
He and provincial transport ministers will address the impacts of transportation reform on roads at their own meetings.
Recommendations about ports and waterways will be addressed at meetings involving stakeholders from each port, he said.
And Transport Canada will determine the terms of sale of the government’s hopper car fleet after Kroeger’s consultations are complete, said Collenette.
The minister also said he’s satisfied Estey addressed the effect of the Canada Transportation Act on the efficiency of the grain transportation system, and the sharing of efficiency gains among all the players in the system.
