Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and my thanks to the witnesses for their evidence today.
Before I begin with the witnesses, I want to mention, Mr. Chair, that there was a comment earlier from one of the members to the effect that the government had not put any money into the budget, currently before the House, for wetlands. That comment, unfortunately, is ill-informed. I want to quote from Ducks Unlimited in relation to the budget to set the record straight. They said:
We’re pleased that the Government of Canada is continuing its investment in aquatic habitat.... Wetlands are critical habitat to many of our fish and wildlife resources and this partnership program directly supports habitat restoration and enhancement—efforts that play a critical role in supporting healthy fish stocks and waterfowl populations in Canada.
Ducks Unlimited, of course, is one of the premier conservation groups in Canada. I was pleased that they had high praise for the budget and the partnership that was mentioned in the budget. I just wanted to set the record straight on that.
Next I would like to say how much I appreciated Chief Adams-Phillips' comments. To be honest, I was very pleasantly surprised at the detail of the very exciting and hopeful optimistic collaborations that you are describing. I wish I had more time than I do, so that I could ask you about them, but I'll ask you to forgive me because Mr. Farwell is from my backyard.
The Grand River is my home, so I need to direct my questions, or many of them, to him. If I have a chance, I may come back to you, but I really did appreciate your comments.
Mr. Farwell, particularly welcome to you from the Grand River and the Kitchener-Waterloo area. I have a very high regard for your efforts and the efforts of GRCA as you know. I am very glad to have you here today to hear about them.
In particular, I'll start with some questions around the water management plan that you have referred to in your remarks. You mentioned that Environment Canada has been a strong supporter in the development of the water management plan. I wonder if you could tell us what contribution, funding, or other resources Environment Canada has made to the development of that water management plan.