Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is true to a point. There is no question that this is a huge hammer to use to try to resolve a problem that could be resolved in a better and more honourable fashion if the assurances were there that the grain would be moved.
The problem is that farmers are being used as the badminton bird in this game between management and labour. Do not use my farmers as that badminton bird or that pawn. If we make sure that the grain can be moved, then I would be very happy to continue with the negotiating process that has now been put on the table by treasury and the union. It is a terrible sledgehammer to use back to work legislation right now in order to resolve this problem.
When the union took the grain handlers out and used this particular gambit, it also knew it would get the government's attention because it was affecting an $18 billion industry, most of western Canada and probably all of Canada. The union knew when it did it that it would get the government's attention and that this would be the result.
Nobody has total right on his side. The hon. gentleman is right. It would be very nice to be able to resolve the situation without this piece of legislation, get them back to work and make sure there are no strikes on the grain handling side of it.
Bill C-19 should have spoken to a situation where we would not have any more tie-ups with Canadian grain moving to the marketplace.