Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you again, Minister, for being here.
Minister, as you know this committee produced a unanimous report on protected areas. In that report, we recommended that the federal government partner with municipalities, indigenous governments and stakeholders to protect more land across Canada, and to meet and exceed our Aichi targets. We also asked the government to deliver more funding for nature conservation across Canada.
Last year's budget delivered on these recommendations. You spoke about it earlier: $1.3 billion in funding. I know you're tired of hearing me advocate for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes, but this area is near and dear to the hearts of Nova Scotians and it's worth protecting.
Minister, as you know, last week I also had the honour of announcing a $860,000 contribution to the Halifax Regional Municipality so it could acquire and protect 135 hectares of land in this amazing park. This was huge news back home. Can you tell us a bit more about the successes of the Canada nature fund and what it will mean for our future generations?