Lastly, looking forward, Canada must continue to find ways to address the fundamental problem of railway market power and the resulting lack of competitive forces in the rail freight marketplace.
Bill C-49 appears to make progress towards this goal in several areas and does reflect a consideration of what the Canadian rail shippers and the grain industry have been telling successive governments for years about the core of the imbalanced relationship. Bill C-49 is designed to balance two competing interests, that of the shipper and that of the rail service provider. The true measure of success will likely take years to fully gauge. The reliability of our transportation system affects buyer confidence in the global Canadian brand. We know that, because we directly hear about it.
The CCG encourages the Senate and government to work together to ensure Bill C-49 passes and becomes law as soon as possible. This is the long-term fix to the problems we have today. We need it passed, and we need it passed before this session is over.
Thank you.