I am, Mr. Chair.
The fact of the matter is that the minister provided information to the House, and it was only half the story. So if you go to page 4 of 6 in the auditor's report in the annual report, you'll find the audit shows that the Wheat Board did $1.8 billion better than the previous year.
Let's turn to the contingency fund, Mr. Chair, which this motion deals with specifically. I want to quote on the contingency fund. On page 19 of the notes to the financial statements, just to help you find them, it says the act provides for the establishment of a contingency fund. The contingency fund regulation provides that “the balance of the fund cannot exceed $60 million. Pursuant to the Act, the Fund balance can be negative; there is no limit specified.”
Now, Mr. Chair, I read that into the record because, as has been explained by the Wheat Board at their district meetings, the contingency fund is there for a purpose: in firm language, to work something like an operating capital or an operating fund. So it's transparent. It's in the audited financial statement. It's doing its function. And for the minister and his parliamentary secretary to go on a smear campaign.... I would hope the member for Prince Albert is not participating in that.
So Mr. Chair, before we consider this motion, I believe we need some answers from the parliamentary secretary and the minister.