So you've had a change of perspective on that.
Basically what I wanted get at is the fact that this legislation has to strike a balance with the needs of the shippers. As I said, I've done a lot of shipping in my lifetime, so I'm very cognizant of the need to get things in a timely manner, and how frustrating it is when it doesn't happen, and the challenges you face going forward.
I also want to put into context the fact that competition doesn't necessarily negate every negative factor you have in shipping. I've had many occasions where on a Friday a truck didn't show up that I needed to be move my product to the States that afternoon. It coming on Monday didn't do me any good; I missed my delivery and I probably lost a client from it. Those things happen in the trucking industry, where you have a lot of competition. I've had firms that have served me well for five or six years, and then dropped the ball three or four months in a row—continuously.
The reason I brought that up is that we're looking at what a reasonable expectation ought to be of a competitive environment that everybody should be able to accept, whether a shipper or the railways. That's the balance we're trying to find in Bill C-52. To some degree, we've found a good balance. We'll look closely at what you brought forward as your amendments, but it's important to acknowledge that.
Mr. May, you said that you found three months to negotiate a contract to be extremely long. In my business, I would be extremely happy with that. Mr. Foran can probably speak to that, because he's probably been involved with a lot of contracts. That three months is a pretty quick turnaround for a service contract. These things can take a lot longer than that in the normal commercial environment.
Would you not agree?