Devco  Mr. Speaker, the numbers with respect to those who may qualify for a pension are in the order of 340 in terms of the new proposal that we have on the table. That is in addition to about 137 under existing old pension provisions, and 650 will qualify for severance arrangements that work out to about $70,000 per person on average.

Devco  Mr. Speaker, as I have listed on a number of occasions in the House, the government through a variety of means has put together a package that totals something in the order of $550 million to address a variety of issues in relation to Devco. We understand very clearly that this is a very difficult circumstance for the people in Cape Breton.

Questions On The Order Paper  A total of 61 meetings were held across the prairies to provide an opportunity for the Canadian Wheat Board to consult with farmers on grain transportation issues. The total costs of holding these meetings have not been finalized. Expenses for hall rentals and advertising will amount to about $40,000, and there will be additional costs related to travel.

Questions On The Order Paper  The proceeds from the Canadian National, CN, settlement were distributed through the Canadian Wheat Board, CWB, accounts. The total costs of bringing the complaint was $2.7 million. A portion of this was legal fees. The settlement also included rate related benefits accruing to farmers in 1997-1998 and for the life of the agreement.

Canadian Wheat Board  Mr. Speaker, in my capacity as minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board I have to advise the hon. gentleman that I am not aware of any recent development that he may have referred to in his question. He and I have had the opportunity to discuss the particulars of this matter.

Nuclear Waste  Mr. Speaker, I guess this is now the 19th time I have responded to the details of this question. If there were to be a commercial MOX proposal, that would go forward. In addition to a number of other conditions that would need to be satisfied, all relevant environmental, health and safety regulations in Canada, whether federal or provincial, would have to be fully satisfied.

Nuclear Waste  Mr. Speaker, we are now on to number 20. The fact is that the testing that may be undertaken later this year is fully within the regulatory authority and the regulatory licence afforded to AECL. It is covered within the financial arrangements provided to AECL. If there were to be a commercial program pursued after that, one of the conditions that I referred to generically in my first answer is that it would have to be on a commercial basis with no subsidization by the Government of Canada.

Plutonium Imports  Mr. Speaker, the testing of a minute amount of MOX material is already well covered within the licensing authority of the Chalk River lab. If the project should go any distance beyond that, it would require a full public environmental review. We have said that now at least 17 times.

Plutonium Imports  Mr. Speaker, now for the 18th time. If there is any decision to be taken that goes beyond the mere testing that is already covered by the licensing at Chalk River, there would be a full public review that would cover all environmental, health and safety requirements as provided in either federal or provincial law.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, we received no request to participate in the MOX program. We have not yet conducted any feasibility testing that would come within the licence of the Chalk River laboratory. If we were to proceed, there would be full, open and transparent proceedings under relevant federal and provincial law with respect to the protection of the environment, health and safety.

Nuclear Waste  Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman may be confusing two things. With respect to the testing of a minute amount of MOX fuel, that is already covered under the existing licence of the Chalk River facilities. If there should be any consideration in the future to a full MOX program in Canada it would require not only those successful tests, but also the complete environmental review of the proposal in compliance with all federal and provincial laws to ensure that all environmental health and safety factors in the country are taken into account.

Grain  Mr. Speaker, the grain trading relationship between Canada and China stretches back over 40 years. It has involved during that period of time over 110 million tonnes of Canadian wheat exports based upon a very strong and effective working relationship with the Canadian Wheat Board and the extraordinarily high quality of grain produced by Canadian farmers.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, the organizers of the rally had indicated that ministers were their preference to attend the meeting. Unfortunately, neither the minister of agriculture nor myself was available on the particular day that they had chosen. In fact both of us were working on other fronts to defend the interests of farmers, the minister of agriculture on his way to Japan and myself in Washington.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, on Monday I was referring to the elected people that the organizers had indicated to us were acceptable. I gather on other occasions they had also indicated that deputy ministers might be suitable substitutes. The point is not really to argue about the substance of any particular meeting.

Radioactive Waste  Mr. Speaker, it is obviously the intention of the government that the utilities that essentially create the waste material should be responsible for its disposal. According to Seaborn, about 87% of that waste comes from Ontario Hydro, about 6% comes from New Brunswick Power, about 5% comes from Hydro Quebec and about 2% from the research operations at AECL.