Canada's farming community is breathing a sigh of relief after the Senate voted to pass Bill C-49 (Transportation Modernization Act) on Tuesday.

Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Ron Bonnett says all of the agriculture sectors has been asking for this bill to be passed quickly to have things in place for this coming crop year.

"The Canadian Federation of Agriculture commends parliamentarians for working together to pass Bill C-49, a critical piece of legislation that will alleviate many of western farmers' concerns on rail transportation," he commented.

Bonnett looks forward to seeing the bill put into action.

"I think what we'll be watching for is the implementation that's going to come and really take a look at how things like the own motion authority will operate. Say for instance; there are indications of a huge crop by early this fall, how can the Canadian Transportation Agency respond quickly to address those concerns."

Other key aspects of the bill highlighted by Bonnett include extended interswitching and adding soybeans to the MRE list.

Bill C-49 was first introduced into the House of Commons back in May of 2017. It received royal assent Wednesday afternoon.

Additional groups, such as the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) also welcomed the news.

“Several elements contained in Bill C-49, including reciprocal penalties and expanded data collection, will improve the balance of power between railways and shippers and ultimately enhance rail service for farmers,” says CEO Rick White.

Following is a list of some of the elements included in Bill C-49:

- The ability for shippers to have reciprocal penalties and dispute resolution included in Service Level Agreements,- A strengthened definition of ‘adequate and suitable’ level of service railways must provide shippers,- More proactive use of Minister’s direction of the Canadian Transportation Agency to inquire and investigate rail system issues and publicly report the findings, and- The publication of new railway and supply chain performance data.

CCGA says these changes, along with others in the bill, should result in clear improvements to Canada’s rail system including new investment in modern hopper cars, a direct benefit from a change in the Maximum Revenue Entitlement calculation.

This change alone is expected to produce an increase in system capacity of 15-25%.