XPost: can.politics, ont.politics, bc.politics   
   XPost: ab.politics, sk.politics, man.politics   
   From: ConsRCons@govt.cda   
      
   Or maybe not.  Again.   
   Maybe just another 'police yourselves' exemption for an industry that   
   has caused so much destruction - and deaths.   
      
   The most recent 'serious actions' taken by the Harper government?  It   
   goes like this [to the railway industry]:   
   'You will report your performance to us EVERY MONTH !  Not every three   
   months, like before !'   
      
   This is well known in Canada now as:  'letting private industry police   
   themselves; damn the consequences'.  AKA the Harper Cons.   
      
   Anyone out there feel very, very ashamed of voting for the Harper   
   government?   
   ________________________   
      
   Ottawa to keep closer tabs on rail companies   
      
   CP — Feb 3 2014   
      
      
   WINNIPEG - A transportation bottleneck that has left a bumper crop of   
   grain still sitting in some fields is prompting Ottawa to keep closer   
   tabs on rail companies.   
      
   Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Monday he is acting on the advice   
   from a crop logistics working group to change grain monitoring so rail   
   companies will have to report monthly on their performance. Right now,   
   companies report every three months.   
      
   Railways know they can do better and increased transparency will help   
   pinpoint problems as they arise, he suggested.   
      
   "They have to be transparent in why, when they're asked for 150 cars,   
   they only spotted 100," Ritz said during a news conference. "They may   
   say, 'That's historically what we've done.' That's not good enough.   
      
   "The new era of transparency and accountability will say if we asked for   
   150 cars, then that's what we expect to get."   
      
   The announcement is the latest attempt by the federal government to   
   appease farmers who are frustrated about a huge backlog of wheat and   
   other crops building up outside jammed grain elevators. The backlog   
   stems from problems moving a record harvest of grain — up about 20   
   million tonnes.   
      
   Ottawa has already chipped in $1.5 million for a five-year   
   transportation study. While some farmers are skeptical that increased   
   monitoring will help tackle the backlog, Ritz said the government is   
   determined to ensure Canada has reliable grain shipment.   
      
   "To win and maintain our markets, Canada must not only be competitive on   
   price and quality, but also on service and deliverable reliabilities,"   
   he said. "Our government knows that action is needed now."   
      
   Dan Mazier, vice-president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said   
   increased monitoring is a step in the right direction. But the Manitoba   
   grain producer said it won't fix current problems.   
      
   "We can monitor it all day long, but the bottom line is we've got a pile   
   of grain to get rid of," he said. "There are delays that are months and   
   months behind. This is a nice step forward, but we have further to go to   
   get some action."   
      
   Farmers argue grain shipments are not as high a priority to rail   
   companies as oil, potash and coal. They also say rail companies can't   
   respond quickly to a bumper crop immediately after harvest.   
      
   Mark Hallman, communications director for Canadian National Railway   
   (TSX:CNR), said the company is reviewing the new reporting measures and   
   "awaits further details."   
      
   "CN continues to make major efforts to meet the demands of an   
   exceptionally large Canadian crop this year, and is working as hard as   
   it can to overcome the difficulties of the winter season that are   
   affecting grain and other traffic segments," he said in an emailed   
   statement.   
      
   Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada, said he would like to see the new   
   rules in place this year. The country's economy depends on solving this   
   issue, he said.   
      
   "If we're going to expand our economy, continue to grow exports in   
   everything from coal and minerals, forestry products and agricultural   
   products ... we have to have a system that will meet that," Bacon said.   
   "If we don't, it's the performance of the Canadian economy that will   
   suffer."   
      
   Liberal Ralph Goodale said his party advised the Conservatives two years   
   ago that they should study potential logjams when the government   
   abolished the Canadian Wheat Board, but that advice was ignored. Now, he   
   said, farmers are paying the price.   
      
   "The industry and the government were just not ready for anything but a   
   very ordinary crop," Goodale said. "This situation is so damaging for   
   farmers ... the government has to pull out all the stops to make sure   
   that they're maximizing the movement (of grain) wherever they possibly can."   
      
      
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        “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save   
   the environment.”    ― Ansel Adams   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)