The honourable whip and I have a bet on who will be quicker.

I am pleased to rise and present brief remarks on the resolution to extend provisions contained in the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act.

As senators will know, Bill C-30, known as the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, was implemented in 2014 in order to address unique circumstances that arose during the 2013-14 crop year due to poor seasonal conditions and grain transportation issues at the time. As such, a number of provisions of the bill were made temporary. Some of these provisions include the ability to prescribe different distances by region or by goods when making regulations on interswitching, as well as to prescribe a minimum amount of grain to be moved by the Canadian National Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway during any period within a crop year, and authorize designated persons to impose administrative monetary penalties for failing to meet these requirements.

A mechanism was included as part of the bill to grant the government the ability to extend such provision through a resolution adopted by both houses of Parliament, as authorized through an order of the Governor-General-in-Council.

Given that the date for repeal of said provisions would be August 1, 2016, the government is moving expeditiously in order to maintain stability and predictability in the grain industry.

Therefore, the government, through the adoption of this resolution, is seeking to extend the coming into force of these provisions by one year in order to properly examine recommendations made by the report of the Canadian Transportation Act Review. It will also allow the various participants in the grain-handling and transportation system to properly plan for the upcoming crop year under predictable conditions.

This resolution is currently before the House of Commons and was agreed upon by the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and has received bipartisan support in the other chamber.

Honourable senators, I am hopeful that you will support this important resolution, and I am confident that in the future we will have the opportunity to further analyze and debate the operational workings of our grain and rail systems.