Agriculture committee  The process is to evaluate the recommendations that are put forward. As I indicated earlier, we will be trying to package our vision for the minister to review. Much of it will include the recommendations from COMPAS. There are some areas where we feel there are some inefficiencies, if we try to go down all of the recommendations COMPAS has presented.

Agriculture committee  As part of our process, we will be looking at at least some of the recommendations and doing some costing around them. It's going to take some time, but we do understand that this is high priority. It's high priority for us. As I indicated earlier, our funding situation is on a year-to-year basis.

Agriculture committee  If I may, I would add to that. Certainly if the biodiesel and the ethanol industry takes off in Canada—and the signs are indicating that it will—as Terry mentioned, we may see that there's going to be a lot of grain pulled out of the system to be used in those processing facilities.

Agriculture committee  Again, the crystal ball is going to have to come out. That's difficult to answer. Every area is going to try to maximize the returns for products that can be grown locally. It may be that there will be some shipping of product between regions, but what breeders have been asking for is the opportunity to develop better varieties for those specific markets.

Agriculture committee  The process that COMPAS followed did provide lots of opportunity for consultation. They had numerous written comments; they also held public meetings. They had one in Montreal, I believe; they had one in London, Ontario; and they had two in each of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Agriculture committee  COMPAS is recommending that all overtime costs be considered infrastructure and that they be paid for by government. It gets back to the funding question and who should be paying for services. We are in a situation where our dollars are tight and we have some challenges. As a result of some of those challenges for service, we've had some of these concerns raised through the COMPAS report.

Agriculture committee  It really has minimal effect on our operations. We do have a good relationship with the Wheat Board; we have a lot of discussions with them on numerous issues. Obviously, a change in their structure would change our relationship with them. Ultimately, our mandate is independent of the marketing agency.

Agriculture committee  It's not going to go away, no matter what decisions are made here and within the next few months with regard to our mandate. COMPAS talks about consultation and the importance of consultation. Clearly that is part of the solution. Communication is part of the solution. We are always going to have the challenge of different viewpoints, and any time a decision is made that is contrary to your personal view, you are critical of that decision.

Agriculture committee  With regard to the unbiased review of inspections, we already have that system in place. The system is in place for producers who are delivering to a primary elevator. We call it “subject to grade and dockage and protein”, which means that when they deliver to a primary elevator, they can immediately request that the sample be sent to the Grain Commission for an accurate grade.

Agriculture committee  I was going to say, certainly no arguments on your last statement. That has been discussed already, that we agree there has to be a way to find the tools to accommodate some of the other needs of the industry. Ethanol is one that has been cited. There are likely going to be numerous others that are going to come at us.

Agriculture committee  Those are very big questions and are questions that I think are largely going to fall to the parliamentarians to answer. Certainly funding has been a challenge for the Grain Commission for a number of years. As most of you are aware, we have not increased fees since sometime before 1991.

Agriculture committee  I don't have the specific recommendation in front of me, but COMPAS does spend a fair bit of time talking about stakeholder communication and consultation. The structure we have includes a number of ways in which stakeholder communication does occur, and ways in which we receive feedback from various parts of the sector.

Agriculture committee  I think your concerns are definitely well founded. I'm not sure that what they're recommending would automatically cause issues for safety or for consumers, but I certainly think that while we're making decisions on moving forward that include perhaps contracting out of inward inspections, we need to keep in mind the impacts on the quality assurance system.

Agriculture committee  I think the act provides for six appointed assistant commissioners. In the past few years we have had five and they are regionally located. I don't think anyone questions the role they play in communicating some of the Grain Commission issues. They certainly provide an increased awareness in their respective regions for some of the work that the Canadian Grain Commission is doing, and they provide a mechanism for complaint resolution.

Agriculture committee  As you know, the report was released last Monday. We are still working through the report ourselves. In terms of prioritizing, I'm not sure whether we'll be prioritizing specifically or whether we'll be looking at a plan for the future that encompasses many of the recommendations that would move the CGC forward with the industry but accommodate some of the things that are in the COMPAS report.