Absolutely. I agree that flood protection is a huge value of wetland that is often underappreciated, the ecological service that is provided.
I can speak from a B.C. example that wetlands here are valued at about $100 billion in ecological services per year around the province—flood protection being a large aspect of that. One thing that we're struggling with is having strong protection as far as laws and regulations around wetlands. Often they're underappreciated at all levels of government. I know the federal government has a no-loss policy, but that only applies to certain lands. It's a struggle for provincial governments to go to that next step and do that protection. If there is any support we can get from a federal perspective, that's very helpful.
One concern is with the Fisheries Act and some of the changes to the legislation with respect to the protection that is being provided currently for wetlands that are fish bearing. There is a concern among conservation groups that might be diminished if there are changes in the legislation in that regard.