Foothills Member of Parliament and Associate Agriculture Critic, John Barlow, is calling on Canada's Ag Minister to show some leadership in passing Bill C-49.

Barlow says, for an amended Bill coming from the Senate, Bill C-49 has been abnormally stagnant in the House of Commons.

He says, Agriculture Minister, Lawrence MacAulay, needs to get things rolling.

"We need him to be the voice of agriculture. He is our conduit to the Prime Minister, he's our representative at the cabinet table, and certainly for the last couple years he's been really missing in action."

Barlow along with his Associate Ag Critic, Luc Berthold, sent Minister MacAulay an open letter outlining his responsibility to Canadian farmers earlier this week.

Barlow, says Transport Minister, Marc Garneau, and Ag Minister MacAulay have done nothing to address the grain backlog except defend the rail companies.

"They've been asking stakeholders and producers to be patient, you know Bill C-49 is going to resolve all your problems. But now we've had Minister Gaurneau and Minister MacAulay both publicly say that C-49 is not going to resolve all their problems. Now they are not moving to pass the amendments or get it back into the House of Commons."

He says, there is two months left before the House Common's summer recces, and time is of the essence.