I'm not sure I can directly answer your question, but I'll attempt.
First, I think you're asking if we have data that enables us to understand the impact of socio-economic considerations, for example, on certain decisions. In effect, I think the best data that we have was presented to this committee, and it wasn't generated by us. It was generated by the University of Ottawa concerning listing patterns.
As you observe correctly, the vast majority of species have been listed, and the delays have occurred primarily with respect to species that are commercially farmed or used, and species that occur in the north, where there may be some traditional or ceremonial importance attached to those species. In both cases, of course, additional considerations need to be applied to not just the listing but the actions that are taken with respect to the species.
But I think this goes to a more fundamental point. I apologize if I'm oversimplifying your point, but you suggested that some of the witnesses presented a dichotomy or a choice between commercial activities and protection of species. I think that what we're learning in the act, through the act, and what we're struggling to implement in the act is to eliminate that false dichotomy.
In some cases, of course, very hard decisions have to be made, and trade-offs have to be made. But this comes back to my response to Mr. Sopuck. I think what we want to move to in the act is rapid action, which is not always taken by the government. What we need is rapid action taken by the most effective actor on the ground. What we have is a very prescriptive act that requires us to do certain things in every case, and that has created an impression that we will be taking this action no matter what. That has created, actually, in some cases a resistance from some of our partners, whereas what we want to do—and indeed what we're moving towards—is a set of policies and a set of interactions with our partners that inculcate a different kind of relationship so that we can get ahead of the curve, so that we can move faster, and we can take better action on the ground.
But this is clearly not easy, and it's something we're wrestling with as well.