Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank all the witnesses for being here today.
A lot of things are in progress with respect to the national conservation plan. There is much talk here about protecting habitat and water, groundwater and surface water.
Mr. Riddell, we had the opportunity to speak yesterday about protecting water and habitat. I noted that British Columbia has the same problem as Quebec when it comes to industry. We cannot put in place a national conservation plan without having scientific data and good regulation.
The shale gas industry and the coal bed methane industry that is active here, in British Columbia, uses an enormous amount of water. It is a concern of a lot of residents in my area, Drummondville, and elsewhere. I've also heard people say that it was a concern here.
What regulation should a national conservation plan include so that water is not contaminated or depleted? The water currently being used by the shale gas industry runs off into the ground in such a way that the water is lost, which affects the water level.
Could anyone with some knowledge about this say a few words?