Danny, you mentioned the AgriStability advance document that the banks are willing to look at almost as collateral. Can you provide members with a copy of that when you get back to the office? I think that's a very good idea, and a lot of people don't know it's available.
The committee in its recommendations—at least on this side of the House—wasn't overly enthused with the department's or the minister's response to our spring report. We thought it was vague and unclear. In recommendation 16 we recommended that a billion dollars be set aside in a federal contingency fund for disaster relief, such as the situation we have right now with hogs and beef. The response basically said that time and again the federal government has demonstrated that it will respond to emergency situations. Examples given were BSE, golden nematode, and avian influenza. That's true, but we have a disastrous situation here right now where the government isn't responding with special programming, as was mentioned by one of my colleagues earlier.
Andrew, you mentioned that the organization leaders said they don't like ad hoc programming, or they are against it. I can tell you that the producers I talk to want ad hoc funding. They want money in their pockets right now. I have been to several bankruptcy sales in the last six weeks—people I've known all my life, third- and fourth-generation farmers. They don't give a damn whether the ad hoc program is trade viable or not. They need some cash in their pockets to keep them going, and it just isn't happening.
If we weren't challenged on the $1.6 billion, or thereabouts, that the previous government put into BSE under 10 or 12 different programs, why would we be challenged on ad hoc moneys going for hogs and beef right now when they direly need it?
I have a second question, and somebody can think about it while Andrew is answering the first. I was confused—those guys will say that isn't unusual—by your answer on AgriInvest in relation to supply management. How will AgriInvest work for producers of supply management? Be fairly specific if you can.