As an example of the need for acting on our recommendations on extending the accelerated capital cost allowance, and to do so very soon, one of my member companies is currently contemplating an investment of--not to give too much disclosure--between $500 million and $800 million, and they laid out the timeline for me. From the company's proposal, from the executive who's generating the proposal within his company to his corporate board approval is one to two years. To book the capital equipment he is now looking at 2010 as the first date the manufacturers of the capital equipment are able to commit--and that's not January 1, 2010--plus six to eight months for delivery. So you're now at 30 to 36 months, plus the corporate planning time period and construction of six to 12 months. You're looking at a total minimum timeline for this kind of investment of four to five years.
Right now, our industry is in a very strong economic position globally. Fortunately, our companies are benefiting from the strong agricultural economy globally. Our companies are making money and they're looking at making investments. If we don't make these investment now in Canada, we expect other companies and other sectors will be making these investments in the Arab gulf, in the former Soviet Union, in other parts of the world, and once those investments are committed we've lost our opportunity to grow our economy in Canada.