Thank you, Chair.
And thank you for staying on for the rest of our committee meeting to answer some very important questions.
I just want to ask some questions regarding the Wheat Board. I want to tell a little story. I know that when we were going ahead to change the Wheat Board and allow free marketing for farmers, I actually had about a half a dozen farmers from my riding in my office, and we had some discussion on the Wheat Board. I did indicate that there would be a new wheat board, so they would still have an opportunity to sell through it. I asked them directly if they would do that. They actually said no. I asked why, and the response was that they could get more money from the other organizations, which I thought was interesting in itself.
What I really want to talk about are the main estimates, the $53 million, and the grant contributions for the CWB. Certainly those are the transition costs, as I understand, and this touches on the important aspect of changing the Wheat Board and making it an open market. There are many more opportunities now for the Wheat Board. Marketing freedom for our farmers in Western Canada has been really positive. I've talked to numerous farmers, and they're absolutely delighted with this.
In regards to the transition costs in the Churchill program, can you explain how the government is modernizing and promoting the grain sector in Western Canada?