Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Again, I think the Canadian public and the farm community should interpret these words for what they are. This section in this bill is atrocious for a government that said it was going to allow farmers to determine their own destiny and run their own industry.
The directors--and let's be specific here--are “to cause the directions to be implemented”. In other words, the minister gives an order and they have to ensure it's done, for pretty well whatever the order may be.
Mr. Hoback may say this is only an interim agency. Well, this is a $5.6-billion corporation at the moment. It's responsible for the movement and sale of the grain of thousands of farmers. We could have this system in place for four years or more and the directors will have to implement every little whim that this minister has—and he has a lot.
Then, to make it even worse, the act says the directors “are not accountable for any consequences arising from the implementation of the directions”. The minister gives an order and the directors have to carry it out, but the directors don't have to be accountable for any of the consequences of that direction.
Mr. Chair, is this Canada we're living in? It makes you wonder. For a government that has talked about its express desire to allow farmers to run their own agency.... Farmers aren't running that agency, folks.
How can the backbenchers who have farmers in their communities allow such dictatorial legislation to pass? Can nobody stand up over there?
Is there not one member on that other side who can stand up and challenge the dictatorial aspect of this piece of legislation that first took the farmers' votes away, that made them voiceless, and that now, in this new volunteer Canadian Wheat Board...? It's completely voiceless. It's run by a collection of six under express orders that come out of the minister's office through the Governor in Council. My God, you should be ashamed of yourselves.
That's all I have to say, Mr. Chair.