Saskatchewan legislature passes motion for Ottawa to get grain moving

REGINA – Saskatchewan politicians have passed a motion to support the federal government if it brings in emergency legislation to deal with a grain transportation backlog.

Premier Brad Wall introduced the motion on the first day of the spring sitting at the Saskatchewan legislature.

Federal legislation allows a government arbitrator to decide if a signed service agreement between a shipping company and a railway has been violated, but most grain handlers don’t have such contracts.

Wall says it may be time to mandate service agreements or mandate the number of rail cars to get grain moving.

The premier says a legislative move should be a last resort, but he also says the time has come because Canadian grain growers could lose international customers.

A record crop is sitting in bins across the Prairies and grain-handling companies have told the province that it might be 2015 before the backlog is cleared.