Fertilizer Canada backs Bill C-39 as key fix for port and rail disruptions

Fertilizer Canada has endorsed Bill C-39, the federal government’s Building Canada Strong Act, saying the legislation reflects several of the industry group’s long-standing demands for more reliable ports, rail and labor rules. Ottawa introduced the bill on September 21, according to Farms.com.

The association, which represents Canadian producers and distributors of nitrogen, phosphate, sulfur and potash, called the fertilizer sector a super user of the country’s supply chains. It welcomed measures to speed project approvals, modernize transportation infrastructure and operations, give Canadian Port Authorities more investment flexibility, update geographic certification, advance trade digitalization and address bottlenecks on critical trade corridors. It singled out the plan to formally designate strategic trade corridors as especially encouraging.

Labor is the other half of the package. Fertilizer Canada supports proposed Canada Labour Code changes that lengthen bargaining timelines and add special mediators. It said it will keep pushing for Cabinet authority to impose binding arbitration when a labor disruption threatens the national interest, a power the group is still seeking beyond the current bill.

The stakes are high for exporters. In a November 2024 statement, the group estimated that supply chain disruptions had cost the sector more than $1 billion in lost sales over six years. Reliable logistics also matter to U.S. buyers, since Canada supplies most U.S. potash, as Fertilizer Daily noted when the U.S.-Canada trade war threatened potash supply. The bill’s passage through Parliament is the next milestone.

Source: World Fertilizer