Customs Tariffs  Mr. Speaker, absolutely not. The position of the Canadian government through all of these very difficult trade issues with the United States has been first and foremost that we will defend Canadian interest and every aspect of it and that we will not in any way engage in any form of trade-off between regions of the country or different groups of farmers or different commodity groups.

Customs Tariffs  No, Mr. Speaker. The answer given by the Minister for International Trade was very clear. The Canadian position through the last 16 months that we have been in office has been absolute and unequivocal. We support the Canadian supply management system. We are determined to defend that system against all comers.

Western Grain Transportation Act  What about the freight rates?

Western Grain Transportation Act  We have a trade surplus, what is the problem?

Western Grain Transportation Act  I hope you will do better than the last one.

Western Grain Transportation Act  moved that Bill C-66, an act to amend the Western Grain Transportation Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government and in particular on behalf of my colleague the Minister of Transport, I am pleased to open debate on Bill C-66, an act to make certain short term amendments to the Western Grain Transportation Act, commonly known as the WGTA.

Agriculture And Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act  Mr. Speaker, from the comments made in the course of the debate today I take it there is recognition, given the process being established by the legislation, that there needs to be as a part of the process a tribunal to adjudicate upon disputes and alleged offences. The whole purpose of establishing such a tribunal as a quasi-judicial body is to remove the adjudicative procedure from my office, which is a political office, and to put it in the hands of a body, an organization or a tribunal that can be at arm's length and not influenced by the day to day flow of political events.

Farm Credit Corporation  Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the question. The person named by the hon. member is a very effective farm manager. She is also a business manager in her home community of Swift Current, operating a small business. She is heavily involved in a variety of community organizations, including providing assistance with respect to their financial matters.

Farm Credit Corporation  Mr. Speaker, when it came time to make the appointment of Mrs. Meyer and others, I had the opportunity to consult with a broad variety of people across the country, including senior representatives of farm organizations. I indicated who I had in mind to appoint. The recommendations I was about to make were very well received by the farm organizations.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, a variety of proposals are under consideration. Some of those proposals come from the producer payment panel, which was a consultative process that ultimately reported publicly in June of this year. There have been other proposals in terms of the structure of the method of payment that have come from the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member knows the Minister of Transport and I are working on a set of proposals for comprehensive reform of the Canadian grain handling and transportation system. That obviously includes a very detailed examination of existing legislation in the form of the Western Grain Transportation Act.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, the United States is proposing to take certain actions effective January 1 with respect to the importation of products containing sugar into the United States. As the hon. member knows, Canada takes strong exception to the position being taken by the United States.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government will pursue all its options in defending the Canadian position in the face of U.S. action with which we may disagree. However I want to make it fundamentally clear that in the process we will not engage in any game of trading off one region of the country against another or one commodity against another or one group of producers against another.

Bankruptcy Act  Madam Speaker, the hon. member's interest in and concern for the Canadian Wheat Board is noted and appreciated. I am pleased to have this opportunity to respond to his remarks in greater detail than I would be able to do during the course of Question Period. The member makes reference to the most recent election of the Canadian Wheat Board's producer advisory committee and the proper interpretation to be placed upon the results of that election.

Canada Grain Act  moved that the bill be concurred in.