I would like to continue talking about my suggestion, and then I will propose a subamendment in a few minutes.
I support the amendment, but I would like it to be a four-hour meeting on March 19 rather than March 21, given the urgency of the matter.
As to Mr. Drouin's suggestion about the committee sending a letter, I would reiterate that Bill C-49 is an omnibus bill that does not concern our committee alone. The letter will have to reflect that, if you want us to agree on sending such a letter. That involves other committees and other stakeholders. The committee may express its concern, but we know that Bill C-49 will not solve the grain shipment problem in the short term. We need a short-term solution now. It is important for the committee to signal that it is monitoring the situation closely.
If we were to hold a four-hour meeting on March 19, that in itself would send a signal that people will have to get moving before March 19 at 4 p.m. If the committee is in the mood to write letters, it could also write to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, calling upon him to take all the measures available to him to intervene as early as March 15, rather than waiting for the committee's meeting on March 21. There are clearly measures the government can take.
I would remind you that the Canadian Federation of Agriculture wants a plan from the government, not just Bill C-49.
As to the subamendment, I propose therefore that the meeting be held on March 19 and that it be four hours long. As to sending our list of suggested witnesses by March 15, that would not change.