Mr. Speaker, on the first day of this session of Parliament, September 16, I was asked a question by the hon. member for Provencher as to the timing of the government's reaction to the controversy in western Canada about western grain marketing. I indicated in that reply that we would be in a position to announce our policy decisions before Thanksgiving.
I am pleased to confirm that we are on track with that timing. I will be in a position to make an announcement of the government's policy decisions within the next several days.
On the specific allegations the hon. gentleman has made with respect to barley marketing, I presume he is referring to recent media reports carried in Winnipeg and elsewhere. I can assure him those media reports are grossly inflated and are not an accurate representation of the facts.