Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank all of our witnesses for being here today.
Ms. Lockwood, I'd like to start with you. Welcome back to our committee. It's wonderful to see you here, providing an important perspective from Vancouver Island.
I really appreciated your talking about how, in relations between farmers and the CFIA, there is room for improvement. I also appreciated how, in your opening statement, you detailed the multiple crises that farmers, particularly in British Columbia, have gone through with the heat dome and the atmospheric river, followed by avian influenza. It seems like the hits keep on coming.
You had to do a lot of learning as you were in the middle of those crises. They may not have directly impacted your farm, but the danger was always there, hanging over your head like a sword of Damocles. We know with other outbreaks—we don't even have the names yet—it's not a question of if but when.
What I'd like to know from you is what you would appreciate, as a farmer, from the CFIA in being proactive. Would you prefer more bulletins or more up-to-date awareness of what the potential threats are? Is there anything you can add in that specific area?
I believe preparedness is the key, and we want to equip our farmers to be ready for any eventuality that might come and affect our regions.