Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We can quibble over wording, but the fact of the matter is that the intent of the resolution is to have an interim payment of $1.78 per pound for those who exit the industry. Mr. Chair, there's been a lot of discussion on this issue, and as I said last week, I was in the area. It was clear during a committee meeting last week, when we had Mr. Preston here, the chair of--I'm not sure of the appropriate name--the tobacco task force or regional task force, and we raised in questioning that an immediate exit strategy for tobacco producers would not compromise the task force's work.
That was clear from the meeting we had with him last week. The government could come forward with an exit strategy for the tobacco producers themselves, who were under very strenuous personal and economic strain, in part due to the actions of the current Minister of Immigration herself. She made very to clear to me when we were down there that the tobacco industry as a whole, the population down there, felt the government had committed itself to an exit strategy and had broken their word. Even the bankers lent money on the basis of the commitment that they felt the current government had given them towards an exit strategy.
The government holds a lot of responsibility here, and so the fact of the matter is that this resolution would not compromise the task force's work. That can go on. As a bottom line, I would feel that in fact, if the government were to commit itself to this $1.78 per pound interim payment for those who are going to exit the industry, it would even complement the work of the task force. Then these tobacco producers, now under such financial strain, would see some light at the end of the tunnel and be able to focus on future investment and future opportunity, rather than worrying about where their next meal is going to come from.