Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses today for coming to speak to us about this very important topic. It's my hope that with this study we can examine the effects of invasive land species and the effects they have on all Canadians, because a threat in one part of the country one day could be a threat in another part by the next.
My view is that only by prioritizing the invasive species that pose the greatest threats can we ensure that we're spending money wisely. To ensure that the federal government is targeting the most damaging invasive species in prioritization ensures that we're doing so in a resource-effective manner. As an example, I'd like to say that some land-based invasive species are likely to stay in Canada. The example I give is the rat, not the common household rat. Notwithstanding Mr. Wong's mention of the Norway brown rat, I think we would all agree that it would be impossible to eliminate the common rat. So we have to focus on what's doable and make that our approach and concentrate, frankly, on what's truly controllable.
I'd like to start my questions by asking for a clarification of Environment Canada's role with regard to invasive species. On page 9 of Mr. McLean's slide deck you mentioned that Environment Canada chairs a federal directors general interdepartmental steering committee on invasive alien species. Who is on this committee? Who are the members? Could you elaborate on what the committee does?