Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to greet my colleagues and thank the witnesses for their time today.
My question is for the Hon. Bill Walker from the Government of Ontario.
In September 2020, your government announced investments to improve the health of the Great Lakes. At that time, your colleague the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks highlighted the Great Lakes as an important component of the province's economic prosperity and community well-being. He also said that the government is committed to working with its partners and investing in projects on the ground to protect and restore water resources.
We know that the Great Lakes contain 20% of the world's fresh water and that 80% of Ontario's farmland is in the Great Lakes basin.
Based on the statement by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Great Lakes are of major importance to your government. What do you think of the concerns raised by the Governor of Michigan and, for that matter, by several other groups about the impact of this Line 5 on the health of the Great Lakes? Do you think they are legitimate?