The contingency fund is a contentious issue for all western Canadian producers. No, they shouldn't be transferring money back and forth between pool accounts and the contingency fund. It was our understanding that when the contingency fund was set up eight years ago, there would be two separate entities under the Canadian Wheat Board. When looking at the financial statements over the last few years, they've been moving net interest earnings back and forth between pool accounts and the contingency fund.
We still haven't figured out why they transferred money this year from the pool accounts into the contingency fund. The contingency fund is allowed to run a deficit, and there's no limit on the deficit it can run. They had a $89.5 million deficit. Why did they transfer money from the pool accounts that should have gone to producers? It's the producers' money. It should have been paid back to them.
If you take a look at the contingency fund of three years ago, the contingency fund had $60 million. It was at the limit of what could be put in. Within three years it was in a deficit position and $150 million had been lost through the producer payment options program. We need answers on that one.