Minister Ritz, to follow up on the theme of Churchill, you know that Port of Churchill either directly or indirectly affects 200 jobs in a community of about 1,000 people. Approximately 95% of what goes through the Port of Churchill every year is board grain. For decades it has provided a more cost-effective option for farmers. Moreover, the work that has come as a result of the board grain that comes through has meant employment for many people, who are then able to raise their families in the community of Churchill.
As you can probably imagine, given that 95% of what goes through the port is from the Wheat Board, the announcement that the Board will be dismantled has brought a great deal of uncertainty to people in Churchill. Yesterday, I had the chance to ask Mr. MacKay, the Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission, how many people from the Grain Commission will lose their jobs in Churchill.
Unfortunately, the answers to that question were not brought to the attention of our committee.
My question is, for the financial commitments that your government has made, when will we be hearing the details of how the money will be rolling out? When will the town of Churchill—the mayor and the town and other players on the ground in Churchill—be consulted on the way that money is going to be rolled out? When will we hear the details as to how many of the people who stand to lose their jobs as a result of wheat no longer going through the port might be hired as a result of the money committed by your government?