Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, grain handlers at the port of Vancouver have been locked out since September 3, causing the shipment of grain to come to an almost complete halt. Our grains and oilseeds producers are already facing financial hardships from years of rising foreign subsidies, continuous years of drought and poor grain prices. Now our producers are about to be hit again with another labour dispute.

    We have seen this situation over and over again. It was not that long ago that grain handlers were on strike hurting the economy and innocent third parties, namely farmers.

    The government goes from one crisis to another with no vision as to what the future may hold. Where is the long range planning on the government side? The Alliance has given the government an effective strategy that has been totally ignored.

    When will farmers see a dispute resolution mechanism so that their products can be shipped uninterrupted to overseas customers? Will the government wait until more damage is done before it takes action?

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