Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that section 17(4) of the Canadian Wheat Board Act referred to by the member for Vegreville addresses the administrative requirements for an election of a Canadian Wheat Board advisory committee.
The recent speeches and articles by the Canadian Wheat Board commissioners are a response to producer requests for more information on the board and how it markets wheat and barley on behalf of the producers.
The Canadian Wheat Board commissioners did not campaign on behalf of any candidates. They were responding to those producers who want more information. It is only logical that the wheat board commissioners who are charged with the responsibility of marketing wheat and barley on behalf of the western Canadian producers would be in the best position to describe how they are fulfilling their responsibilities.
As the hon. member well knows, the debate on the issue of grain marketing has been ongoing. It was not initiated with the particular Canadian Wheat Board advisory committee election and it will not end with this election.
As we have stated on numerous occasions, producers need the opportunity to discuss the grain marketing issue in a logical, structured form with all the facts available to them. The producers will be provided with a forum to discuss and debate the issue over the coming months.
Any decision on how we market grains and oilseeds should be made in the context of where we want our grain industry to be in five to ten years from now. As a result, the federal government has initiated discussions with the industry to develop a longer term vision.