Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. friend for his question. As he probably knows a payment panel has been studying the issue for some time. The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is awaiting the response from the panel to have a look at the proposal.
I assure him that my position is in the best interests of grain farmers in my area. If they tell me they would prefer to use the current system then I will believe them. If they tell me they want to change the system and have a direct cash payment then I will support that.
Just to provide some context, farmers even within my own riding have different views on the issue. Different farmers in close proximity to one another will have different views on what is in their best interests with respect to the payments they receive.
I assure the hon. member and the whole House that our minister, as I said in my opening comments, will study the issue in detail. We want to hear everyone's view on it. We want to do what is in the best interests of western Canadian farmers.