I just want to raise a quick point. People in this room might be aware of this, but people who are following the proceedings may not.
Immediately upon learning that CN Rail was going to be closing 52 producer car rail sites without meaningful consultation, Minister Merrifield, the secretary of state for transportation, called its senior management into his office. The end result of their discussion is that this morning CN confirmed it will continue to service these sites until at least the new year, and this additional time will provide for significant consultations with farmers interested in using the sites.
As the government, we're very pleased that CN has agreed to reconsider its action and that it's going to take into account farmers' needs. We as committee members are also interested in this matter, and it is the hope of our committee that we will conduct consultations on this matter as well.
I just wanted to bring you up to date on the matter, if you perhaps didn't know, and certainly Canadians who might be following these proceedings, before we got into our questions and answers.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.