Thank you. I appreciate you being here. Your expertise is much appreciated.
The way I see this—and I think the way many farmers, particularly in western Canada, would see this—is as the next step in the modernization of our grain sector. To highlight that, I'd like to read a couple of quotes from one of my constituents, who also happens to be the president, or he may be now the past president, of the Western Barley Growers Association, Doug Robertson. I'm sure he'll be happy that I was able to quote him here at committee. His quotes really say it all, I think. He said:
Along with a voluntary CWB, it is essential that we also update the Grain Commission and the Grains Act so that its regulations also fit a more open market for all our grains and oilseeds.
Then he also said:
Since farmers are now in control of their marketing, they don't want to have to be paying for services they do not need or want, and one of those has been inward weighing and inspection charges.
I think that really says it all. I'd like to get your take on it. Could you expand on this a little bit for me? I think this really is the logical step—and that's certainly what we've heard from the minister and from others—in the modernization of our grain handling system in western Canada.
I wonder if you could first of all explain to us how the removal of the monopoly on August 1 of this year modernizes the grain sector. And could you also expand on how you see that this might be the next step in that modernization as well?