In fairness to the recommendation that's before us, I think there's grave doubt in the minds of many farmers. You may say these faxes have been given to us through one central office. Yes, indeed they have. But they've come from various parts of western Canada, from people who are under the Wheat Board and who are feeling that they have been rejected in terms of their ability to be able to get the minister to understand that there needs to be a fair vote.
They have come to us because they believe we need to be their advocate. I believe we're simply putting some balance to the other side of the question, given that the minister has already taken his authority to authorize, under his edict, that the Wheat Board not spend any money promoting the virtues of the Wheat Board. Yet the Province of Alberta spent $1 million telling people why single-desk selling would be a great thing. So I think there has to be some balance.
When you look at the facts that have already occurred in the last three or four months, one would only gather that the minister's not favourably disposed toward keeping a single-desk selling system in Canada, but creating another grain company, which we feel is probably doomed from the beginning.
In fairness, the committee is the master of its own destiny, and with the pleasure of this committee, we can make recommendations. They don't have to be followed. We've done that many times in the past, as even the House makes recommendations and passes motions that are not adhered to. Surely we're not being denied, and whether we should be dealing with the matter of the chairman's ruling is...and I don't often disagree with the chair. The chair hasn't made this ruling, really. He's made the ruling based on a decision that was given to him.
We have to deal with that first. My position stands that we should be given the opportunity to vote on this.
