Thank you.
Before we move on to the next round, here is a question on the same subject we've been talking about around the table; it concerns provincial standards and coming up with something that works.
I have a good example in my own riding, with the major groceries stores. We know they're part of our competitiveness study, but they've taken an issue here in Ontario, and it's probably the same in other provinces, whereby they will not allow their grocery stores, whether they are part of their chain stores or are independent groceries...because even the independent groceries have to purchase a lot of their stock wholesale through them. They have stipulated that these grocery stores cannot sell provincially inspected beef--and I presume it carries into pork and probably anything else--in the stores.
There's a gentleman in my riding who runs his own independent grocery store. He appeared before this committee a while back. He has a store and he's also a part owner of a provincially inspected slaughter facility. They just won two awards in the last couple of months for quality, but in his own store he's not allowed to sell provincially inspected meat.
Could I hear some of the commodity groups, or even Mr. Laws or Mr. Stein, comment on this? It is an issue. I certainly don't have all the answers and I don't think this committee has, but we're trying to find some, and there are some problems across the country provincially versus federally. I would appreciate having comments on this issue.