​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Winnipeg, Manitoba  --  The Modernization of Canada’s Grain Industry Act includes some important changes that have the potential to reduce administrative costs to farmers and see their protection under the Canada Grain Act expanded.

“Amendments proposed in this bill such as extending farmers’ access to binding determination of grade and dockage provisions to process elevators is something canola farmers have been asking for,” says Rick White, CEO with the Canadian Canola Growers Association. “We’re pleased to see this provision encapsulated in the legislation.”

Bill C-48 was introduced into the House of Commons on Tuesday and includes provisions intended to modernize the operations of the Canadian Grain Commission. Of particular interest to canola farmers are amendments that would allow for the establishment of a producer compensation fund to protect producers in the event that a licensee fails to pay for grain delivered.

Exposure to risk from non-payment on grain deliveries is a serious issue for farmers. “The amendments contained in the bill begin the process to create a lower cost, more predictable producer payment security system that ultimately reduces risk to farmers,” says White.

“We’re pleased to see these changes proposed in this bill and we look forward to working on the details through the stakeholder consultation process.”

The association encourages a productive dialogue on the bill and would like to see the bill passed quickly. “Changes such as the extension of binding grade determination to process elevators have been brought forward in earlier bills,” says White. “It would be disappointing to see this important change meet a similar fate and expire on the order paper as has occurred in previous Parliaments.”

CCGA represents more than 43,000 canola farmers on national and international issues, policies and programs that impact farm profitability.

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Contact: 
Kelly Green, Director of Communications 
Email: kellyg@ccga.ca 
Phone: 204.789.8821

Background
CCGA has prepared a one-page backgrounder on Bill C-48.