Canadian Grain Commission
About Us
Canada is known worldwide as a supplier of quality grain.
Why are we so successful? Our edge in the marketplace has always been quality and consistency. A miller who buys Canadian wheat knows how that wheat will perform, year after year. Each lot of grain does not have to be tested, because each lot will perform exactly the same as previous lots of the same wheat.
This kind of quality and consistency does not happen by accident. Much of the responsibility for the quality of Canadian grain belongs with the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).
In Canada, grain is most often wheat, and wheat often is turned into bread-whole wheat bread, crusty bread, French bread, Italian bread, bannock, pita bread, chapatis, tortillas. But there's more. Canadian grain products include pasta, noodles, mustard, licorice, sprouts from mustard, flax, beans, and chick peas, oils from canola, flax, sunflowers, corn and wheat germ, soups from barley, wheat, lentils and peas, porridge, muffins, cakes, biscuits, cookies, crackers, couscous, hummus, kasha, tabouli, and beer. From barley to beans, if it's grown in Canada, you'll know it's good, and the Canadian Grain Commission helped to make it that way.
A Federal Agency
The Canadian Grain Commission is a federal government agency and operates under the authority of the Canada Grain Act. Our head office is in Winnipeg, and we have approximately 700 employees. Our annual budget comes partly from fees for our services and partly from Parliament. We report to Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
The Flow of Grain
The CGC offers a number of services to the grain industry as grain makes its way from the producer's field to markets. Most often, producers on the Prairies deliver their grain to a local primary elevator. The CGC establishes the grading guidelines that operators of primary elevators must use. Western producers also deliver directly to process elevators or load grain themselves into railcars for direct shipment to terminal elevators.
Individual producers' deliveries are generally mixed and grain is shipped in large lots. This bulk handling helps keep costs down. However, because the identity of each producer's grain is lost almost immediately, it is important that grading at the primary elevators is done quickly and fairly. The CGC provides a dispute resolution service when producers and buyers disagree on grades.
When grain is unloaded at terminal elevators and some transfer elevators, CGC staff grade the grain, verify its weight, and register its receipt. They follow similar procedures when grain leaves the elevators. Grain leaving terminal and transfer elevators is bound for domestic or export customers, usually by ship or laker.
Canadian grain is graded by its visual characteristics. Grades are carefully established to describe the processing qualities of the grain. The Certificate Final issued for each export shipment of grain is internationally recognized and accepted as Canada's assurance that what our customers buy is what they are expecting to buy. When buyers purchase grain from other countries, they may wish to see the actual grain they are buying before they close the deal. When they purchase Canadian grain, they need only the Certificate Final.
Grain Elevators
In western Canada, the CGC licenses primary, process and terminal elevators, as well as grain dealers. Grain dealers buy and sell western grain for profit either for themselves or others. They are not required to operate handling or storage facilities. We license transfer elevators in eastern Canada. More information on licensing.
The CGC oversees delivery only at terminal and transfer elevators and publishes maximum charges for services offered by elevators and for the use of elevator space. We may also arbitrate in disputes over grain quality between buyers and sellers of grain.
Primary elevators are those that receive grain directly from producers. The elevator manager grades the grain as it is delivered.
Terminal elevators are located at Thunder Bay, Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Churchill. Grain is officially inspected by CGC staff as it is received at these elevators. It is stored at these terminals until it is moved for domestic or export use.
Transfer elevators are located on Georgian Bay, on the shores of lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario, along the St. Lawrence River, and at Halifax. They handle western and eastern grain destined for export. All grain shipped by vessel for direct export from licensed transfer elevators must be inspected.
Process elevators process grain and oilseeds for human consumption. They include flour mills, oilseed crushing plants, and malt houses.
Grain Appeal Tribunal
A Grain Appeal Tribunal receives appeals from producers and grain companies dissatisfied with grain grades assigned by CGC inspectors. The Tribunal is chaired by an experienced senior grain inspector, who reports to the chief commissioner and is independent of CGC operations. Other members of the Tribunal are selected from the grain industry.
Grain Standards Committees
Two Grain Standards committees, one in eastern Canada and one in western Canada, meet regularly to make recommendations about changes to grade specifications and to discuss grain quality issues. These committees are composed of producers, grain handlers and marketers, and representatives from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the CGC.
One of the committees' major functions each year is to approve the standard samples that are to be used as visual guides in the grading and marketing of that year's crop.
Publication
The Organization and Operations of the Canadian Grain Commission publication is available in Adobe PDF format and in the following languages:
Adobe PDF format. Refer to our PDF help page for information on how to view, print and download PDF documents.
Last updated: 2006-07-07