Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
And thanks, gentlemen, for appearing before the committee today.
The COMPAS report states that the grain sector is at a crossroad. Of course they call it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that's biofuels. That seems to be the buzzword today, but the ideal grain for the biofuel industry is basically low protein and high carbohydrate, the opposite of what it is for human consumption, so there has to be a transition in there for producers and what have you.
Mr. McBride, I'd like to hear you comment on how that transition is going to be dealt with by producers and how it should be, whether through market forces or government intervention, and I'd like some comments on how long you think that transition might take.
The report also recommends a major restructuring of the government's Canadian Grain Commission to make it basically more compatible. It sounds like it's really outdated; I'd like to hear your comments on that, and what the impact has been from the fact that it's outdated--if that's your opinion on it--and what it may have cost producers.
I also have a question for Mr. Reid. I'd like to hear a little more from you on KVD. You mention in there that it's a step in the right direction, but you also indicated that you'd like to see it step forward to be more similar to Ontario. I'm from Ontario, so I'd like to hear you speak a little bit about that and tell us exactly what you were meaning there.
I'll turn it over to you.