The use of rail transport is critical to the agricultural sector in Canada, its maintenance and investment is fundamental to moving wheat and barley to global export markets. However, farmers have continuously suffered transport delays over the last decade due to inefficiency of rail capacity during cold weather, politically motivated blockades, and disruptions from labour disputes, and seasonal weather damage.

The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions have called for a greater effort to prevent disruptions to rail services such as in events of labour disputes and seasonal damage that could prevent the efficient movement of grain. This ask would help to further protect the essential service of rail transport and help to promote greater access and transparency in rail transport for Alberta Wheat and Barley Farmers.

The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions continuously advocates for our farmer members to ensure a greater access to rail capacity for grain transportation to ensure continuous supply to global export market demand.

The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions advocate for:

• Creating greater capacity of rail to transport grain to international markets,
• greater investment in the rail transport to increase efficiency, and further prevention of rail transport disruption through worker strikes or rail blockades.
  
• Alberta Wheat and Barley are members of the Crop Logistics Working Group, the Ag Transportation Coalition, Grain Growers of Canada and have farmer members on the CN Industry Advisory panel – all collectively advocating for more reliable rail service.