Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Regina-Qu'Appelle for his comments and also his question. If he had followed our election campaign positions on agriculture and other issues he would be aware that Reformers promoted the targeting of funds in a way most beneficial to producers. We expanded that in a larger way. We even suggested that by targeting funds for social programs we might be able to salvage them rather than see them eroded by the government's inability to sustain them because of lack of funds with a growing debt.
I concur with the member's suggestion that some of our programs right now are badly managed and very little thought has been given to how effective they could be. For instance, some of our agriculture programs are not good for the environment. One instance is the Western Grain Transportation Act which has no cap on it. Someone produces canola at $12 a bushel and receives the same benefit from that program as someone who is growing wheat and struggling at $2 a bushel.
What we are suggesting is a trade distortion adjustment program that would target those funds to producers who are hurt by the trade war and thereby sustain their economic viability.