Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on last week's release of the Liberal government's task force on western alienation. After reading all 62 pages of the report I realized that no matter how many studies the government does on the issue of alienation it still does not get it.
The report showed how completely detached the Liberals are from the needs of western Canada. Their view of western Canada is endemic whether it be their historic indifference to the farm crisis, the 1997 election call in the middle of the Red River Valley flood or a decision under the Trudeau government to create the national energy program.
As a timely example of this western indifference, just this week, yesterday and today, a delegation of respected agricultural leaders have been denied, refused a meeting with the Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, one of the few Liberals left in western Canada. The issue they wanted to talk about was western grain transportation, the Kroeger report, an item that is vital to agriculture in western Canada.