You're saying that the subamendment was passed and now we are on to the amendment? Okay.
Mr. Chair, I've moved this forward, because this amendment would provide tools for producers when railway companies breach their service obligations. This tool would continue to improve the efficiency, reliability, and predictability of the supply chain.
It's important, because it allows for direct compensation for shippers who enter service-level agreements. This is something that many shippers from all commodities have asked for. In fact, Mr. Chair, this goes beyond reciprocal penalties that some have called for. For instance, if a shipper is out of pocket, the Canada Transportation Agency can, as I just read:
order the company to compensate any person adversely affected for any expenses that they incurred as a result of the company's failure to fulfill its service obligations.
Basically this would include something like demurrage.
The second part of the clause is just as important, because it allows compensation to be paid within a commercial contract. Therefore, this will encourage the shippers and the railways to come to the table and set their own reciprocal penalties if that is their desire.
Subclause 2 is the repeal mechanism that works with the sunset clause at the end of the bill.
Mr. Chair, this is a market-based solution for getting service-level agreements with teeth. I think this is something that the committee certainly heard much about from witnesses.