Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler discussed the current rail backlog during a stop in Winnipeg last week.

MacAulay said if Bill C-49 passes, it won't solve the issue right away, but it will benefit the industry in the future.

He added that as farmers continue to produce more and more, and a reliable transportation system will be critical.

"This year's big crop will be just a regular crop in a year or two, because we're going to produce more on the same amount of land. We have over the years, and we'll continue to produce more, which means there's more grain to ship. We have to have the proper system in place...We know as an exporting nation, we must do that and we will."

Bill C-49 has passed through the Senate with amendments and is currently before the House of Commons.

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler also weighed in, noting there's been one thing missing in the conversation.

"There's no loyalty anymore to your job," he said. "It used to be at 18 you'd graduate from high school and work for CN or CP. Those days are gone, there's no loyalty. So we have to change the attitude as well, in order to have those employees be long-term and be there to make sure that they do the service that they need to do."

The railways have committed to adding more staff and equipment to help alleviate the problem.

Eichler notes there's been lots of consultation that's gone on with the sectors in order to make sure they are getting it right, adding it will take more than just passing Bill C-49. He says they need to change the way business is being done and react to make sure they live up to commitments to getting those products to market.