The ''Western Grain Transportation Act'' was a 1983 Canadian federal statute under which the formula for calculating a transport subsidy was modified. The subsidy, informally called the

Crow Rate The Crow Rate, or Crowsnest Freight Rate, was a rail transportation subsidy benefiting farmers on the Canadian Prairies and manufacturers in Central Canada by rate requirements imposed on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) by the Government of Ca ...

, Crow benefit or Crow subsidy, had been provided since 1897 by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

to assist the rail transportation of specified grains and grain products to specified destinations within Canada for export. Since the producer paid only a portion of the freight rate, the Act had the effect of increasing the prices received by grain producers and paid by livestock producers on the prairies. The subsidy encouraged the movement of grain east and west to export shipping terminals. The Act was abolished as part of budget balancing initiatives undertaken in 1995. Subsequently, grain began moving south for transhipment through the United States.

References

*{{CRS, article = Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition, url = http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf, author= Jasper Womach Rail freight transport in Canada Canadian federal legislation 1983 in Canadian law Grain trade

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References