Thank you, Chair.
I would like to say how happy I am to see you guys again. I wish it were in different circumstances, but it's good that we're having this meeting. It reminds me of all the years I spent on the agriculture committee with Randy, although we were on opposite sides of the table at the time. It also reminds me of a situation in 2013-14 when we did work together. We were three different parties with different points of view on different issues, but we were all able to come together, work hard, and put politics aside to make sure that we were standing up for farmers.
It's really disappointing and frustrating that a few years later we're back in the same situation. We did have red flags come up. We talked about the urgency to act. On Bill C-49, we tried to have the part about grain transport carved out to make sure it would be adopted more quickly. The situation we're in right now is very frustrating.
I think that once again we all need to work together to make sure that we are standing up for farmers and that we are going to get this right this time around. I'm hopeful. I'm optimistic. Once again, I think we and the government need to use all the tools in their tool box. There are some options that were used in 2013-14 that can be applied to the situation we're in right now.
I'm happy to see that there is an openness to looking at this at committee, but I'm just concerned, because looking at this on March 21 is once again too late. The timeline that was given for the expectation for the ministers to act was March 15. Every day that goes by.... I can't imagine being in the shoes of the people who are trying to transport their grain and how frustrating this is for those farmers. They already deal with weather and so much unexpected volatility, and for this to happen again is completely unacceptable.
I'm really hoping that.... We do have our two weeks off from Ottawa when we're supposed to be back in our constituencies, but I think we need to sit down as the agriculture committee and flesh out what options can be undertaken immediately by the government.
I'm supportive of the motion by Luc Berthold, but I think we really need to have CN and CP here. We also need to have Minister Garneau and Minister MacAulay or their representatives come to committee. It's our job to stand up for farmers. This is something that should be non-partisan. I think March 21 is way too late. I know that Bill C-49 is in the Senate right now. It's an omnibus bill; it changes 13 laws. We did try to have that section for grain carved out. When we get back to the House, I propose that we do a unanimous consent motion to have the Senate take out the bit about grain to have it fleshed out and to see if they could look at ways of getting that moving forward faster.
For now, in dealing with this motion, I think we really need to make sure that we are listening and taking the time to take this situation seriously. I'm hoping that there will be an openness from the Liberals on the other side to look at this seriously and to have CN and CP, the ministers, and also the farmers here. We have to listen to the farmers. This is a complicated issue. It's not black and white. I think it's time for all of us to roll up our sleeves and make sure that we get it right for them this time. We can't drop the ball again. We just can't.
Those are my comments for now.