Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member who requested the debate.
The minister said not too long ago that the NDP always liked to have blank cheques. The Prime Minister on the weekend said at the Liberal convention that the NDP liked blank cheques. I believe the Liberal Party likes to write cheques but forgets to sign the cheques. That is what happens with the farmers. One thing they do not forget though is to sign cheques for Lafleur. When we look at the sponsorship program, it seems he got money that he did not know he would get.
I have never had calls from farmers who have said that they received cheques they were not supposed to get. They never get cheques. The calls I get in my riding are from the feedlot farmers who are losing their shirts. They do not feel good when they see they are not getting money for their beef, but when they go to the store, people are paying the same price as before.
How would the minister answer those farmers who call my office? It seems the farmers who call the opposition members are not the same farmers who call the government. We have maybe a big problem--