Thank you very much for the question, Mr. Stetski. I was just in Iqaluit. We hosted a clean energy summit there 10 days ago for the federal government, the private sector, a number of communities, the Nunavut government, and scientists. It was very successful.
As it happens, Mr. Crowley and I had a meeting with some of the Inuit organizations. We've been working there for a long time. As you all know, I'm from Toronto, and coming to Iqaluit and saying, “I'm from Toronto and I'm here to help you” is not the best way to start an evening.
Again, we also do not speak for Inuit people or organizations, but in our experience there is a very strong thread of support for conservation among Inuit people for the reasons that Mr. Taylor gave. It's been expressed by a number of their organizations, including the hunting and trapping organization. In our experience this extends to marine protected areas. In particular, there is a very significant concern about oil and gas exploration, particularly given issues like those with Shell. We were pleased to be part of their announcement when they withdrew from their permits in the Lancaster Sound vicinity, but it's clear to people there that there was significant damage just from initial exploration, particularly to fish and whales, and they are extremely concerned about it and about seismic testing. Of course they have seen no real development in that area.
That's our perspective. Mr. Crowley is far more experienced in the Arctic than I am, and he may have a more detailed answer, but in terms of the big picture, we found quite significant support. We're working with organizations and communities in a very positive way on marine protection and other environmental issues.