CP's President & COO Keith Creel Addresses Agriculture Standing Committee Hearing in Ottawa on Bill C-30

OTTAWA, April 1, 2014 /CNW/ - This evening Canadian Pacific's (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) President and Chief Operating Officer Keith Creel provided his comments on Bill C-30 to the Standing Committee on Agriculture. Mr. Creel encouraged the Committee to consider the serious capacity constraints within the current grain supply chain and highlighted that interswitching would worsen the situation for the movement of Canadian grain to markets.

"The reality is the current grain supply chain, of which rail is only one component, cannot move these extraordinary volumes over this short period of time," said Creel. "We need solutions that will increase throughput of grain from farm to ship."

Mr. Creel also addressed CP's operating performance this crop year. CP moved record grain volumes last fall which was later impacted by the extraordinary cold temperatures in December and January. With the improved weather, the railway has regained momentum, moving 15% more Western Canadian grain in February and 20% more in March than the previous year.

With respect to the proposed extended interswitching, Mr. Creel expressed concerns with its potentially damaging unintended consequences and how it would slow down the grain supply chain due to increased handlings, further constraining capacity. He noted that allowing grain to be interswitched to U.S railroads could also potentially lead to a negative impact on the Canadian economy.

"I am proud of the railroaders who continue to work tirelessly 24-7 to move this record Canadian crop for the farming community," added Creel. "Despite this fact, our efforts need to be matched by other partners in the supply chain. We should not allow railcars to sit, waiting to be loaded or unloaded, when they should be cycling back to the Prairies or to the Ports."

CP is asking all supply chain partners to engage in a collaborative dialogue to find immediate solutions which will create longer term capacity in the grain supply chain.

Note on forward-looking information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating, but not limited to, the entering into of the Plan, purchases of common shares for cancellation under CP's share repurchase program and future sources of capital. This forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, statements concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives, assumptions and statements about possible future events, conditions, and results of operations or performance. Forward-looking information may contain statements with words or headings such as "financial expectations", "key assumptions", "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan", "will", "outlook", "should" or similar words suggesting future outcomes.

Undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance. By its nature, CP's forward-looking information involves numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information, including but not limited to the following factors: changes in business strategies; general North American and global economic, credit and business conditions; risks in agricultural production such as weather conditions and insect populations; the availability and price of energy commodities; the effects of competition and pricing pressures; industry capacity; shifts in market demand; changes in commodity prices; uncertainty surrounding timing and volumes of commodities being shipped via CP; inflation; changes in laws and regulations, including regulation of rates; changes in taxes and tax rates; potential increases in maintenance and operating costs; uncertainties of investigations, proceedings or other types of claims and litigation; labour disputes; risks and liabilities arising from derailments; transportation of dangerous goods; timing of completion of capital and maintenance projects; currency and interest rate fluctuations; effects of changes in market conditions and discount rates on the financial position of pension plans and investments; and various events that could disrupt operations, including severe weather, droughts, floods, avalanches and earthquakes as well as security threats and governmental response to them, and technological changes.  The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

These and other factors are detailed from time to time in reports filed by CP with securities regulators in Canada and the United States.  Reference should be made to "Management's Discussion and Analysis" in CP's annual and interim reports, Annual Information Form and Form 40-F. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on current expectations, estimates and projections and it is possible that predictions, forecasts, projections, and other forms of forward-looking information will not be achieved by CP. Except as required by law, CP undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific (TSX:CP)(NYSE:CP) is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to eight major ports, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is a low-cost provider that is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit www.cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of Canadian Pacific.

SOURCE: Canadian Pacific

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