Farm leaders from across Canada held a news conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday to highlight the troubles farmers are facing with delays in grain transportation.

Producers are facing cash flow concerns, with grain shipments stalled due to poor rail service.

Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Ron Bonnett says the issue is affecting more than just agriculture.

"We have actually built a very credible grain industry in Canada with export markets. That credibility is being challenged," he commented. "It was challenged in 2013, it's really being challenged now. If we start losing the confidence of international customers, they're going to go looking for somebody else for their product. That puts the whole Canadian economy at risk."

CFA and other farm groups are calling on the federal government to expedite amendments to Bill C-49, the Transportation Modernization Act, and pass the legislation as soon as possible.

They'd also like to see other tools, such as an Order-in-Council, used to help fix the rail issues in the interim.

 

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