Thank you, Chair.
I'd like to thank you all for being here, of course. I know you all have busy schedules.
Being from the agriculture industry, having worked both as a producer and in the processing side of the industry and still having strong connections there, I hear a lot of feedback from both producers and processors about cost recovery measures and some of the industry concerns around cost recovery.
I'm just wondering if you could speak to that. Mr. Dreeshen commented briefly on the way our policy affects our Canadian farmers; he touched on it. I think it's something that's worth noting. What I hear as feedback coming from producers is that, at a time when we're looking to reduce the cost burden of the department, we're also seeing declining service from the department and an unwillingness or an inability to bridge those odd hours on the weekends and some of those finer intricacies.
Do you feel those concerns are validated, first of all? Second, do you feel that technology has a role to play there, or are there ways we can innovate and think outside the box to deliver the services to producers, processors, and packers that they deserve and need, while at the same time recognizing the fiscal constraints of the government?