Proposed Canadian Law Opening CN Rail to Bill Gates Faces Delay

Senator wants to tilt powers away from railways and airlines
CN, CP and Westjet oppose changes, Air Canada declines comment

Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) trains pass through the Macmillan Yard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011. CN, the largest railway in Canada, is the country's only transcontinental railway company, spanning from the Atlantic coast in Nova Scotia to the Pacific coast in British Columbia.Photographer: Brent Lewin

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By Josh Wingrove and Frederic Tomesco

April 13, 2018 at 8:00 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

A proposed law that would increase ownership limits in Canadian railways and airlines has run into a delay as politicians wrangle over what new powers companies should have.

Canada’s Senate has changed Bill C-49, a law originally proposed by Transport Minister Marc Garneau as a sweeping overhaul of the country’s transportation industry. The chairman of the Senate committee behind the changes said Garneau’s original version too heavily favored Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. and airlines including Air Canada. The altered bill strengthens powers for farmers, shippers and airline passengers.