An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act (administration, air and railway transportation and arbitration)

Short title: Fair Rail Freight Service Act Bill C-52 (41-1) Status: Royal assent received Type: House Government Bill Sponsor: Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean) Latest stage: Royal assent Legislative

summary <div>A legislative

summary is currently being prepared for this bill by the Parliamentary Information and Research Service of the Library of Parliament. Meanwhile, the following executive

summary is available.<br/><br/>On December 2012, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities introduced Bill C-52,

An Act to amend the Canada Transportation Act (administration, air and railway transportation and arbitration) (Fair Rail Freight Service Act), in the House of Commons and it was given first reading.<br/><br/>Bill C-52 amends the Canada Transportation Act to require a railway company, on a shipper’s request, to make the shipper an offer to enter into a contract respecting the manner in which the railway company must fulfill its service obligations to the shipper. To exercise the new right to a service contract, a shipper will first have to request one from the railway.

The railway will then be obligated to respond within 30 days. If an agreement cannot be reached through commercial negotiations, service arbitration would be available to a shipper to establish the terms of service. To access the remedy, a shipper would have to satisfy the Agency that an attempt was made to resolve the matter with the railway.

The enactment also amends provisions related to air transportation to streamline internal processes and certain administrative provisions of that Act.</div> House of Commons — First reading: Completed (2012-12-11) House of Commons — Second reading: Completed (2013-02-08) House of Commons — Consideration in committee: Completed (2013-04-18) House of Commons — Report stage: Completed (2013-05-23) House of Commons — Third reading: Completed (2013-05-30) Senate — First reading: Completed (2013-05-30) Senate — Second reading: Completed (2013-06-05) Senate — Consideration in committee: Completed (2013-06-13) Senate — Third reading: Completed (2013-06-21) LEGISinfo: https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/41-1/c-52