Mr. Speaker, I have listened with a great deal of interest to what has been said this morning.
First, the member for Selkirk—Interlake commented about southwestern Ontario. As a primary producer in southwestern Ontario I find it offensive that some would suggest that we do not care about the farmers of southwestern Ontario. We care about farmers clear across the country.
I find it rather an oxymoron that a party that believes in cutbacks in all sectors would dare to say that the government has not spent enough or that the money is not reaching the farmers for whom it was intended. That party does not support supply management which has supported and served our farmers well across the country in both the feather industry and the dairy industry, an industry that has not come to the government trough looking for help. Yet that party says “We do not support supply management”. That party does not support the Canadian Wheat Board because it believes it is a monopoly.
If farmers in western Canada were allowed the option of going five years outside of the wheat board, and took responsibility for the crop produced in that five year period, would they be prepared to take responsibility for the crop and stay out of the system for five years even though they were not able to sell their crop? Who would they go to then?