Shippers may soon lose patience | MP Ralph Goodale says shippers are getting angry over the delaying tactics of the railways
With the Conservative government still refusing to commit to a timetable for unveiling railway service legislation, its harshest opposition critic on the issue says railways are winning by default.
Regina Liberal MP Ralph Goodale has renewed his call for the government to introduce legislation before Parliament adjourns in June so that shipper interests can study it over the summer and MPs can pass it quickly in the fall.
“The tactic of the railways is clear, just keep wearing everyone down and hope the issue goes away,” he said March 28.
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“What we need is a government that says, ‘we’re not going to take this anymore and here’s the legislation.’ ”
During a March 27 appearance at the House of Commons transport committee, transport deputy minister Yaprak Baltacioglu repeated the government promise that legislation is planned but gave no timeline.
A 2010 rail service review report noted repeated examples of poor rail service for commodity shippers and proposed binding level-of-service agreements between railways and commodity shippers, backed up with legislation that can impose penalties if industry agreements are not honoured.
Former Alberta treasurer Jim Dinning has been working since late last year as a facilitator to work out the mechanics.
Dinning’s mandate runs out this spring, and shipper sources say little progress has been made because the railways are resisting service commitments.
“It’s a relatively contentious area,” Baltacioglu told Alberta Conservative MP Blake Richards.
“I would say Mr. Dinning is doing very well, bringing the parties to the table. We’re looking forward to his report to the minister, I think later in the springtime. After that, the government is on the record that we will be introducing legislation on this subject.”
Goodale said later the railways will not begin to compromise until they know the government is serious.
“It’s not a complicated piece of legislation, 151 words, I think, is what you would need to get this ball rolling,” he said.
“The railways are winning until the legislation is presented. At the moment, the inertia is on the side of the railways.”
The veteran MP and former agriculture minister also raised the possibility that continual delays in setting a policy could breed the need for even more delay.
“It has been six years since the original data was collected so the data is getting outdated,” he said.
“They may have to go back and collect it all again, so that’s another year. It’s a strategy of delay by the railways.”
Goodale suggested it is not a government priority and said there has been little concerted opposition pressure.
Transport minister Denis Lebel did not raise the rail service issue in his statement when he appeared before the Commons committee, and almost all subsequent questions from MPs were about job losses in the airline industry and plans for bridge replacement in Quebec.
However, Goodale predicted that prairie shippers will soon lose patience.
“I think at the end of the day, this is such a powerful populist issue that the government will have to decide if it is on the side of shippers or the railway duopoly,” he said.
“I think when presented with that stark political choice, they will have no choice than to produce the legislation, but it will be like pulling teeth. I think the shippers will begin to get angry if they don’t see something at least by fall.”
