Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition signed by a number of cattle producers in southwestern Ontario.
They want to bring to our attention the ongoing hardship caused to the cattle farmers of Canada as a result of the BSE crisis. A class action on behalf of cattle producers of Canada was launched in April 2005, claiming that negligence on the part of Agriculture Canada allowed BSE from imported British cattle to infect Canadian cattle.
This class action has now been certified and is proceeding to trial. The Government of Canada settled a hepatitis C class action and the residential school class action.
These petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to appoint the hon. Mr. Justice Frank Iacobucci as mediator to facilitate a settlement between the Government of Canada and the cattle farmers.