Mr. Speaker, after listening to two speakers from the NDP, I think I have finally figured out where they are going. They want to impose additional costs on producers. Their solution is to go to full testing and to impose a feed ban. They fail miserably in terms of understanding the kinds of concrete actions that the government is taking.
I want to reiterate to the members opposite what has been done. They have tried to indicate that we have had no plan. The minister announced a plan on September 10 that we would move ahead with whether the border opened or not. Where has that plan led us? From 76,000 cattle per week at the end of 2003 to 90,000 cattle per week at the end of June. It will be 98,000 at the end of this year. That is an increase in slaughter capacity of 30%. That is making progress.
We moved into the Hong Kong market in October 2004. Do the members opposite not think that is progress?
One last point because they go on about CAIS and so on. The fact is that the Government of Canada and the provincial governments put up $4.8 billion. We would love to put up more but we want to see the market open up. We are doing our part. I just wish they would stop misrepresenting the facts.