Mr. Speaker, Bill C-101 is about much more than the restructuring of the rail system in western Canada. In reality and especially in response to the loss of the Crow benefit, the legislation shifts the balance of power unfairly to the ultimate benefit of the railways.
I ask the House not to forget that there are captive shippers out there whose entire economy will be affected by the outcome of this bill. More than 60,000 farmers in Saskatchewan have a direct interest in the outcome of this bill. These farmers now pay the entire cost of the shipping themselves. They are at the bottom of the chain so to speak and cannot pass increased shipping costs on to anyone else.
It is important to these producers to have quality railways and quality, affordable rail services. It is also important to Canada to have a successful farm sector because without these producers and shippers the western economy will not grow.
Once again it seems that the Liberals are more concerned about corporate profits than they are about the livelihoods of thousands of prairie farmers.