Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses.
To get back to the discussion that took place between Mr. Hammermeister and Mr. Lunney, buying within 100 kilometres is actually a very good idea. In British Columbia, it is a very good program. Not only does it encourage local agriculture, but it also reduces the ecological footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is not a fabrication. It was noted again yesterday and throughout our travels how climate change is having some very serious consequences and how they relate to our national conservation plan; all the witnesses have spoken about it. It is very important for the fight against climate change to be part of our national conservation plan, and not for us to simply adapt to such change.
To begin with, I am going to address my comments to Ms. Sheppard. We met with a group out west called the Nature Conservancy of Canada, if my memory serves me well. It purchases easements or pieces of land. It has a long-term conservation mission. Does your organization do the same thing? When you have a trust, is it with a view to purchasing land that will be conserved in perpetuity? How does that work?