"The Canadian Alliance agriculture team has been making a determined effort to discuss the problems related to grain transportation created by the last minute changes to the Grain Transportation Act, which were rammed through last June. The Canadian Alliance first requested meetings on September 26, but the Liberals are using procedural tactics to shut down any discussions in committee and are apparently determined not to discuss the problem," stated Breitkreuz.

When pressed by Breitkreuz to hold the hearings immediately as requested by the Alliance, the Liberal chairman, Winnipeg MP John Harvard, hid behind flimsy procedural excuses and refused to discuss the issue. Without allowing Breitkreuz to express the concerns of producers, Harvard abruptly adjourned the meeting. "I wanted to express to the chairman how the current problems with the grain transportation legislation is impacting farmers across the Prairies. Unfortunately, he was not willing to hear how the Liberals' new grain transportation legislation is affecting farmers. This is evidence the government is concerned only about its image and doesn't want to deal with the reality of the situation," declared Breitkreuz. "I don't know why the government does not want to examine the reality of the situation."

"Farmers are losing money every day because of the grain transportation mess. It is absolutely astounding that the Liberals are using technical moves to block immediate hearings," commented Howard Hilstrom (Selkirk-Interlake, MB). "What are they afraid of?"

"The grain companies, the railways and the CWB need to come to the table to resolve this mess. The federal government, including Transportation Minister David Collenette and Canadian Wheat Board Minister Ralph Goodale, should be facilitating talks between these agencies. Instead, they are ignoring the issue. In the mean time, farmers are the ones who feel the devastating effects of this government's lack of action," concluded Breitkreuz.

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