Finance committee  It was an overwhelming vote.

Finance committee  I don't at this time, but the reason we did comment on it in our brief is that the western diversification fund has been very instrumental in helping to pilot some projects in Saskatchewan. That's why we feel it is important for that program to remain. It has been fundamental for rural development, for many communities that have been trying to build ethanol plants, in going into value-added processing on the agriculture side, and in helping communities to actually grow themselves and to do something.

Finance committee  From the municipal side, I would just say that we receive 100% of our GST back anyway, so a further cut wouldn't really save us any more money.

Finance committee  We get it back anyway.

Finance committee  I don't think I'm the right person to comment, but on the rural reserves working with the municipalities, I would say it has come a long way. But there's still a lot of work that has to be done. It's a concern that we have, because to get everybody at the table to negotiate and to work on things....

Finance committee  As I said in my presentation, on the biodiesel file--I'll use that file for an example--if we wait, we are going to lose it. I wouldn't give it until the end of 2007. The U.S. industry is ready to go on the biodiesel file. They're moving on it. I'm a farmer who is close to the U.S. border, and my canola can be hauled down to that plant rather than being hauled here.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the committee for this opportunity to meet with you today. I just want to give a little history of our association. We are a volunteer organization in which all the rural municipalities in this province are volunteer members. Our organization celebrated its hundredth anniversary along with the province in 2005, so we have been here for over a hundred years.