The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) applauds the government of Canada on its decision to move swiftly and decisively to take action to fix long-standing service issues identified by the Rail Freight Service Review Panel.

Earlier today the government announced that it will act quickly to address deficiencies in rail service. The announced measures include legislation that will establish shippers’ rights to service agreements with railways, a streamlined commercial dispute resolution mechanism and a commitment to develop performance metrics against which service will be evaluated.

“The government has correctly recognized that there are imbalances in Canada’s rail system that negatively impact the livelihoods of rural resource communities,” said Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of FPAC. “The actions announced today build on improvements the government made to rail service in 2008 by passing Bill C8, and confirm recommendations identified in the interim report from the Rail Freight Service Review panel released last October,” added Lazar.