Dissenting opinion of the Bloc Québécois to the Report of the Standing Committee on Transport

The Bloc Québécois took part with considerable interest in the study of possible options for disposing of the federal grain hopper car fleet.

The Bloc Québécois agrees with the recommendation that the Canadian Transportation Agency should first complete its review of annual maintenance costs per car and release its findings as promptly as possible.

However, the Bloc Québécois is in favour of maintaining the status quo, i.e., we consider that the federal government should retain ownership of the hopper car fleet. In our opinion, this option would best protect farmers’ interests. The Bloc Québécois further supports the Transport Committee’s recommendation that the Canadian Transportation Agency should adjust the grain revenue cap formula to take into account annual maintenance costs per car as established by the Agency’s review.