Bill C-18 committee  That's correct.

Bill C-18 committee  As I indicated in my opening remarks, the working group anticipates there will be opportunities for new investments, for growth in terms of efficiencies of the grain-handling system, as well as for value added. I think we are also aware there will be challenges as we move forwa

Bill C-18 committee  As I said in my opening remarks, market certainty was a fundamental issue that was raised by every person we met as the working group. In terms of the delivery of that certainty, I think it is to move forward and to implement it in a phased way, as set out in Bill C-18. That wi

Bill C-18 committee  What I can say on this, Mr. Chair, is that Ian White, the president of the Wheat Board, was a participant in working group activities. He also was initially asked to be a co-chair with me on the committee. That resulted in a discussion with the chair of the Wheat Board, Allen Obe

Bill C-18 committee  On the issue of Churchill, this was discussed briefly in the committee. What was discussed much more at length was the issue of access to ports generally, not singling out any one particular port in that regard. I'll ask Murdoch Mackay to speak to that briefly. Having said that,

Bill C-18 committee  Again, I think Murdoch MacKay will speak to the discussions within the working group on access to ports.

Bill C-18 committee  Mr. Chair, as a way of opening this discussion, I would say that we did meet with farmers. The working group held a panel and we invited six farmers from across the prairies to discuss the issues they saw in transition. We also met with I think about ten associations representing

Bill C-18 committee  Gordon, did you want to add?

Bill C-18 committee  Our working group has not looked at the problems that might arise the way they did in Australia. We have focused on the regulatory aspects. When we discussed the issues of access to ports and inland terminals, we did consider various aspects of regulation that were possible. On

Bill C-18 committee  Again, on the issue of Australia, in the working group we focused on the regulatory aspects. In terms of how it worked in Australia on the issues at play, what I can say as deputy minister is that I was at the Cairns Group meeting, and the Australian trade minister, Craig Emerson

Bill C-18 committee  Could you pose that question again?

Bill C-18 committee  I think they were coming at it from other grain companies, in the sense that they wanted certainty and predictability in terms of the future regime. It wasn't something the working group looked at. What we do know from talking to Ian White, the president of the Wheat Board, is

Bill C-18 committee  Mr. Chair, in terms of the working group.... Again, Ian White was a participant, as an observer--

Bill C-18 committee  He's only one. As I said earlier, Allen Oberg condoned the participation of Ian White. All I really want to say here is that the presentations of the Wheat Board to the working group were focused on two things. One was marketing issues, and the second was access issues and the q

Bill C-18 committee  There wasn't one from the board. However, in late July officials did meet with officials of the department to review the elements detailed in the letters exchanged between Minister Ritz and Mr. Oberg.