Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, witnesses, for your efforts and information today.
I'm going to begin by just reminding the witnesses that our job as a committee is to try to come up with some general guidance for the minister. Then he's going to go forward with a consultation publicly in preparing a plan. So we are not actually going to prepare a plan, and I want all of you to keep your pencils sharpened so that you will have input when the minister is looking for it.
With that in mind, though, the question of priorities is important.
If I may, Mr. Bates, I'd like to direct a question to you. If I'm right, I think I heard you say that you or your group felt that the greatest need in conservation in Canada was in the working landscape. I am inclined to agree with that. I'm wondering if, in two minutes or less, you could tell me how you reached the conclusion that this is where the greatest need is, so that I can try to persuade the minister that this is what he should look into.