Mr. Speaker, I have a question I want to enter into the debate, because obviously this piece of legislation is critical for folks who have been dealing with rail car shortages, and I have another reflection to add to this discussion.
Friends of mine from the west coast and from forestry economies across Canada have particularly seen abuses from rail companies, which have often simply broken contracts. They had contracts for rail cars to be delivered so that they could move products to markets, particularly in B. C. on the coast. I am thinking about communities like Fort St. James, Burns Lake, and Houston, where they have had piles upon piles of wood ready to go, with buyers ready, and people going to work at the mill to produce that wood. The rail companies, in northern B. C. at least, and in too many other parts of the country, have a virtual monopoly. They either deal with the company or deal with the company. There are no other choices.
Does my friend have any comment as to the broader effects of abuses that go on when governments allow unregulated monopolies to establish themselves and then cause so many grievances in the supply chain? As he mentioned in his speech, it affects not just the industry we are talking about today but many other industries as well, such as the forestry industry in British Columbia and other provinces.
