Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Mr. Minister, for being here.
I just have a comment for Mr. Thibault. He tried to insinuate, Mr. Minister, and you'll agree with what I'm going to say, I think, that the wheat selling mechanism through the Wheat Board is very split. It's divisive across the country. Whether it's 55-45 or 50-50 or whatever, it's very divisive, whereas it's 100% united in the supply-managed sectors.
You said that we support them. And I have to say I sold wheat six or seven years ago for the last time, and I was really hoping to be getting my ballot in the mail tomorrow. But I guess I'm not going to.
Mr. Minister, you spoke earlier about the benefits that the Wheat Board has declared they get back to farmers. I think it was around $550 million or something, whatever it was. As a wheat farmer, I take my wheat to the board. And from the time I take it until I actually get my last cheque for that wheat, it's about a year and half, give or take a few months. What I'd like to know is whether the interest lost to farmers is part of that equation, the loss of benefit or whatever, when they do that figure?
Do you understand where I'm coming from? I think I know the answer to it, but....