Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few comments on the three motions before us in this grouping, the first one being Motion No. 3.
I have to question something because I cannot quite figure out where Reformers are coming from when they talk about wanting some people to opt out. They want the Canadian Grain Commission to make the decision on whether somebody can opt out or cannot opt out. Let us look at the practical application of that. If someone asked for permission to opt out and the Canadian Grain Commission thought there might be some requirement for the elevator or operator and it was not totally satisfied the security was there without a legal bonding or security being posted, the commission could say that he should not opt out. What message does that send?
In other cases, as has been mentioned, some larger grain companies that might be considered to have all kinds of backing could opt out. As the member from the Bloc said, I could see a total breakdown in regulation and therefore deregulation of who was secure and who was not secure.
Having farmed for many years myself, not in the west admittedly but taking grains to elevators, I know farmers are busy. There is an assumption that if we know some elevators
have bonding or security we assume that probably others do. We could end up in a situation where an elevator had security posted and 20 or 30 miles away an elevator might have security posted because it chose to.
It is certainly not the intention of the government to leave in place a situation where everybody is not treated in the same way. Hopefully it will be some comfort to members that the Canadian Grain Commission realizes every operator out there does not do the same amount of business. They may not have a large volume of product in their facility or on their site at any one time. There is work being done as far as how smaller operators can collectively post bond or securities so they can be covered. We have to remember that.
What would it do as far as competitiveness between dealers or elevator operators is concerned if one had further costs due to posting security and another one down the road, 100 miles away or even 10 miles away, did not have those costs? It is certainly our intention to treat everybody fairly. It is not our intention at this time to encourage or to allow some dealers to be in the system and some dealers to be out.
In reference to the comments from the member for Kindersley-Lloydminister as far as special grains, he is right. The government is working with the industry to put a special act in place to cover those, the peculiarities and specific requirements there. There was some concern that we do it in Bill C-51 but the general feeling was that there were some things in this bill that we could and should do and get out of the way rather than holding all those things up. I see the member is nodding his head yes, get those done and then work with the special crops people to look after their needs which are otherwise there.
As far as Motions Nos. 7 and 8 are concerned, again I find the comments from Reform Party members confusing. It seems that if members of that party have questions on something that has happened in agriculture they do not like, the first person they turn to is the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and ask: "Why did you allow that to happen? It is in your ministry, your department. Why did you allow that to happen?"
What we are asking here and what it does is it gives the minister the final say, the governor in council. The minister would have an opportunity to comment on it. It gives the minister the final say on these types of actions and that is where the responsibility is going to end up.
The intention is not to get into the day to day operations of the commission. If there are questions, these things will have had to be approved by the minister and the governor in council. This will enable the answering of questions the Reform Party seems to be in the habit of asking the minister as to why he allowed something to happen. It gives the minister the opportunity to review those types of decisions before they happen.