Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau has accepted key amendments to the oft-delayed Bill C-49, including ones recommended by the grain industry.

Those amendments include changes to long-haul inter switching to make it available for more shippers, the inclusion of soybeans in the Maximum Revenue Entitlement, and to give the Canada Transportation Agency the ability to launch an investigation prior to a formal complaint being lodged.

Todd Lewis, President of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, says this is an important step toward the bill finally becoming law.

"We recognize these three amendments as being very positive for western Canada, and hopefully the Senate and the house will get to work and get everything passed so we can start operating under the new rules and regulations."

Lewis says he hopes the bill can become law as soon as possible, so the grain transportation backlog can be cleared up in time for farmers to ship this year’s crop.

"Spring seeding is here and guys get busy, and grain needs to be shipped in the winter time, not in the summer and fall, and we get caught with wet weather and everything and unable to haul grain," he said. "The space for next year's crop has to be made, and we put a lot of work in some areas to get that backlog cleaned up so it's important to see it pass, so we can get on with it here."

The current spring session of Parliament will end on June 22.