Madam Speaker, I have a couple of very simple questions for the chairman of the agriculture committee.
How much opposition would there have to be to Bill C-4 before the government would withdraw the bill and send it back to committee? Does it matter what producers on the prairies think, or is the government going to simply ram it through?
The reason I ask is that by accident it was delayed over the Christmas break and I was allowed to go back and consult with the producers of wheat and barley. They told me clearly what they thought about it. I have ample evidence, which I have already talked about, that clearly points out they do not want Bill C-4.
How high does the level of opposition have to be before the government would withdraw it? Would it have to simply be 35%? Would it have to be 50%? Would it have to be 75%, or would it have to be over 80%?
The reason I ask is that it is over 80%. We have taken surveys. We have checked with people on both sides of the debate and they do not want Bill C-4.
What do they want? They want some of the amendments we have put forward. I know how they feel. I gave them ample opportunity to examine the amendments. Ninety-seven per cent of them want a preamble to the bill to change the mandate of the board. Yesterday the government nixed all 48 of the amendments put forward.
How many wanted an opt out clause: 83%. How many wanted a sunset clause and the auditor general to check it: 86%. How much opposition does there have to be?
The second question ties in with the first one. So far the government has not allowed the auditor general to measure the performance of the board against its mandate. It continues not to allow it. It says that it allows an auditor to look at the books, but the government well knows that auditor does not do what the Auditor General of Canada does, that is measure whether it is meeting its mandate.
Why does the government hide the fact that some employees get a $120,800 annual salary, a $110,635 annual salary, a $119,113 annual salary, a $129,999 annual salary or a $115,000 annual salary? The Auditor General of Canada would expose that kind of stuff. Why is the government hiding that information from farmers?