Fisheries committee  Clearly the minister has, under the act, the authority and the obligation to take the decisions. As you're aware, the act does not provide any legal guidance as to how those decisions should be taken and what should be taken into consideration in making those decisions. Now, having said that, of course there's case law and natural justice, which would also guide decision-making of ministers, but there's a tremendous amount of discretion available under the act for those decisions.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chairman and honourable members, good morning. It is a privilege and an honour to be here with you today in my new capacity as Associate Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This is my first time here before the committee in my new function. Hopefully I will be able to maintain the good working relationships we've had in the past.