Mr. Chair, I have a couple of points for the record. The member opposite left the impression that we had not met with the sheep industry, but we have. The minister met with representatives of the sheep industry on October 8 before he departed for Asia to personally get their point of view and their recommendations on what he should be doing on the trade mission and to get their further view on some of the difficulties as a result of the BSE crisis.
I also want to mention something with regard to the CAIS program. We have never said that it was weird and wonderful. The fact is that it was a major discussion at the most recent federal-provincial-territorial ministers meeting in September where some concerns were brought up by the provinces. I want to put it on the record that ministers agreed to extend the one-third simplified deposit for CAISP for the 2004 stabilization year and to extend the deadline for which deposits had to be made to March 31, 2005. It is a shared risk program so there has to be some producer responsibility. As was clearly said at the meeting, it really makes no sense to pay a premium and then to get it back. The minister has asked officials to develop other options to support the act of risk management principle, meaning that all players are supposed to participate in that risk management.
I hope we will not get into that discussion tonight, but if there are suggestions we in the agriculture committee will certainly be listening to them. We recognize that improvements can be made and we are willing to get into that discussion with producers, members of the House and provincial ministers.