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ARTICLE · 17 MAY 2023

2023 Budget Legislation Proposes Amendments To The Canada Transportation Act

McMillan LLP
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On April 17, 2023, the federal Government published draft legislation to implement certain provisions of the 2023 Budget. Bill C-47 amends the Canada Transportation Act...

CanadaTransport
Conner Wylie
Conner Wylie
Ryan Gallagher
Ryan Gallagher
Lucia Stuhldreier
Lucia Stuhldreier
François Tougas
François Tougas
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On April 17, 2023, the federal Government published draft legislation to implement certain provisions of the 2023 Budget. Bill C-47 amends the Canada Transportation Act to effect a pair of changes relevant to rail freight shippers in Canada:

  • extending regulated interswitching limits up to 160 kilometres for traffic in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and
  • empowering the federal Government to make regulations requiring data disclosure by users of the national transportation system, such as shippers.

Increased Interswitching Limits Pilot Program

The amendments establish a new zone that extends the interswitching limit for the three prairie provinces to 160 km, which is a repeat of the geography and distance that was previously in place from 2014 to 2017 under the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act. The new zone will sunset after 18 months unless the Government takes action to continue that limit.

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The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained.

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