Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank committee members for their indulgence. I'm not a regular member of this committee, so thank you.
I want to go on record as saying that I've personally seen the value of the Agricultural Adaptation Council in my area, and certainly your submission affirms many of the thoughts I've had about leveraging money and that sort of thing. For me, it's very similar to the CFTCs, the community futures development corporations that we're familiar with, whereby you put money into the hands of local people who understand the local culture and business environment, are close to the ground, and can make informed decisions on behalf of a group who may not understand that—someone who is here in Ottawa or in Toronto and who, as Gord said, hasn't been on a farm. So I certainly applaud the efforts of the adaptation council, and I have seen great projects.
You pointed out a number of things that are crucial in terms of timing, understanding the local scene, accountability, and then you went on to the fact that the agreements weren't signed until November. That, hopefully, will not be repeated.
But I have a question regarding the new process, this new policy that was put into place, apparently in October 2008. Did Agriculture Canada seek the input of the adaptation council, or at least inform them well in advance that these changes were coming and seek feedback? That's the first question.
Secondly, regarding the five-month timeframe in which you have to get this money out, is there a pent-up demand? Are there a number of projects sitting at the door that you've had the opportunity to at least pre-screen, so that we can get this money flowing?
There are two questions. I don't care which one of the three of you answers.