Thanks to all of you for coming.
I think a lot of our consumers of our agri-goods don't really fully understand how much bees are a part of our food chain. A lot of us get it because we are on the agriculture committee. I guess we empathize with your concerns. We see them as definitely valid concerns as well. We're taking it seriously.
What I would like to comment on is that it seems to be there are assumptions made that this particular chemical is causing this effect. I guess what I would like to see is a more substantive answer to that, as opposed to “we think it's this that is doing this”. For me, unless we know it is that, then I don't even want to mention it in the same sentence because it's a false accusation. I'm not saying that's what it is, but I'm saying what we need to do is get to the bottom of it and to make sure we are fixing the right thing. Again, this study that was out.... I'm a fairly new member of the agriculture committee. I have been here about a year, but I would be happy to start looking into that study and taking it a little bit further than that.
I did have a question. I will start off with Rod. I am from the west. I am from the B.C. Peace River area. I just had a question in terms of beekeepers in general. Have there been significant losses in the past? I still remember 20 years ago I was a kid out on a farm, and I remember the bees that were there—there were quite a bit on the ground that had obviously died through the winter or whatever it was. I have seen that before many years ago. I don't know what caused it. Have there been losses in the past? What has caused that loss, if you can answer that, Rod?