Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to again put a question to a member on the government side.
Members have had an opportunity to review the bill, to study it in caucus, to talk to cabinet members about it, review it in the finance committee and examine it in their own ways.
The hon. member comes from a part of eastern Canada with some agricultural base. Therefore he should have some understanding of rural life in Saskatchewan. As a member of government he has an obligation to review the effect this legislation will have on rural Canadians right across Canada.
The hon. member talked about small business. When we in Saskatchewan think about small business we think not only about those who are entrepreneurs selling or manufacturing products but also those who are producing products on the farm.
In all fairness to the government to have claimed otherwise, this bill and the budget in general will have a more devastating effect on rural Saskatchewan than on any other part of the country.
With regard to the bill, the legislation and its effect on the farmers through the reduction of the Crow benefit, I ask the member if he can identify any studies that will back up his government's claim that this legislation will lead to increased crop diversification and enhanced value added production.
At the same time, given his commitment to small business, can he tell us and the farmers of western Canada what transition measures he believes are necessary to secure the future of rural communities given the immediate withdrawal of federal support for grain transportation?