Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Gentlemen, thank you for being here with us to celebrate my induction into the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I could not have hoped for better company.
When I was reading your report, my attention was drawn to the petition process, which I would like to discuss briefly.
Your report states that the environmental petitions process remains a unique way—unique is quite a strong adjective—for Canadian residents to obtain responses from federal ministers about their environmental concerns.
As Canadians, I and a number of other people often sign petitions because we feel the need to express ourselves, but we may not understand what it really means. Could you tell me what impact petitions can have on your work?