Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I've been talking quite a bit this afternoon. I apologize. I guess you can tell we're very passionate about our railways and keeping them, and keeping the traffic where it should be, on rail and off our roads.
We would like to leave it that.... As a short-line operator, I think there are things that the federal government could do and should do to assist rail transportation, to assist producers, not just in producer cars but in the grain industry. As was said earlier by the presenters, we feel strongly that there should be a full costing review done. The last one that was done was in 1992. It's long overdue. It's time to do that.
There are issues that I think the federal government has to look at to help in short-line rail growth, not only in western Canada but, as I heard at FCM, in all parts of this country. In Quebec and Ontario, it's happening. There have to be ways for communities, individuals, and groups to purchase those railways, and there have to be opportunities for them to access funds. There is also an issue called successor rights that goes along with these railways that has to be dealt with federally. Also, somebody has to take a very serious look at the environmental impact and the environmental footprint that is left when railways leave and put that same product on the road. Nobody has taken a serious look at that. When you start putting three Super B trains on the road versus one railcar, you're putting a huge environmental impact on this country. Somebody has to look at that environmental footprint, please.