Mr. Speaker, as the hon. gentleman knows, the western grain transportation subsidy in western Canada was cancelled all at once in the decision taken in the budget of 1995. The subsidy terminated completely on August 1 last year.
To assist farmers in the transition process away from what had been a subsidized regime to what in the future, and is now, is a totally unsubsidized regime, a transition program was put in place temporarily. It is being implemented quite literally as we speak.
With respect to the dairy subsidy there is not a termination of the subsidy all at once. The phasing out process began in the 1995 budget with a first reduction of 15 per cent in the current year and another 15 per cent next year. As we announced in the 1996 budget there will be a gradual phase out of 20 per cent per year over the following five years. There is a gradual phase out period.