Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
One of the things that truly disappoints Canadians when it comes to politics in this place is when politicians say one thing, know one thing to be true, and go and vote the exact opposite for partisan reasons.
Mr. Bellavance truly believes his position.
While I disagree with Mr. Atamanenko, I respectfully appreciate his position on this. He chooses to discuss these things.
But Mr. Easter knows better. He knows that it's the other way and he voices the other way in countless statements, and he still goes forward with his partisan ways.
I have a report here, quite an interesting little report, many of whose initiatives we have actually already completed as a government in two years. It's called “Empowering Canadian Farmers in the Marketplace, A Report by the Honourable Wayne Easter”. One of the things he talked about in there is that all governments place a priority on measures. One of his recommendations is that “governments place a priority on measures that will enhance farmers' economic returns from the marketplace”.
That's exactly what we're trying to do here, Mr. Chair. We have farmers saying this; we have the Canadian Wheat Board saying this; we have the Canadian Grain Commission saying this; and we have industry saying this, and Mr. Easter still decides to stand on his island, all alone, and refuse the will of western Canadian farmers, and in this case farmers all across the country.
He talks about how what he really needs now is the option to pull somebody in before this committee as a witness. We have that ability; we have that ability at any time we want. They have the votes over there to do so. If they wanted to bring the directors of the Canadian Wheat Board here—because the members or employees of the Canadian Wheat Board, such as Mr. Geddes, apparently no longer speak for them, according to Mr. Easter—then we can do that. But we do not need this motion.
What this motion says is that we recommend that the government abandon its plan to remove kernel visual distinguishability. This would harm our industry. This would harm what western Canadian farmers and farmers across this country have been asking for, and Mr. Easter knows that.
So I ask the members on the other side, who truly know the better choice in this, to please vote for it.