It is a pleasure to speak probably for the last time to this issue. I will speak directly to you, Mr. Speaker. Being from the great province of Alberta you will realize that what I am saying is absolutely correct in the eyes and in the minds of the farmers, particularly those from Wild Rose with whom I have become the most familiar.
I will make one comment in regard to the speech given by the Conservative Party member. It was sort of a half-baked speech in which the member overwhelmingly supported this or that but will reluctantly vote. I am not sure what he meant.
I would like the member to know that I am quite proud of two colleagues in my caucus, one from Prince George—Peace River and the other from Portage—Lisgar. They were debating this issue a long time before this member ever reached the House. In fact there were only two members in the Conservative Party at that time. I guarantee the fellow from Sherwood did not know the first thing about a wheat board like most members on that side.
I am as concerned as many farmers in Wild Rose with whom I have been speaking on the phone for the last two or three hours. They would like to know if the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans campaigned on supporting the wheat board in his riding. I am sure the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration campaigned hard on the wheat board issue in her riding. I am sure that all the Ontario MPs campaigned very hard in their ridings.
They support the bill but it does not reflect on their constituents one iota. It reflects on western farmers and they do not care about western farmers. If they did care they would have recognized, as I recognize, that not too long ago in a very legal referendum in the province of Alberta 66% of barley producers voted in favour of a dual marketing system.
The other two Liberal members from Edmonton remember it. They sure have a funny way of showing it when it comes to voting in the House of Commons. They do not care about what the western farmer is going through. They only care about what their almighty front row bench tells them to do. The whip cracks and they will do it.
Through you, Mr. Speaker, I will speak to the fellows who I know are watching on TV tonight.