Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. DeMarco, congratulations on your appointment as Canada's new commissioner of the environment and sustainable development and for your 25 years of service in the environmental field.
Thank you for joining us this afternoon.
My constituency, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, is located in Quebec. I know that my constituents are keeping a close eye on the progress made in this area.
For example, I kept an eye on the adoption of the Quebec government's Bill 44. The bill calls for the creation of an advisory committee to advise the minister and the government on the fight against climate change. The committee must be made up of independent experts who mostly come from the scientific community. In addition, Quebec's sustainable development commissioner, under the authority of Quebec's auditor general, has been given the new responsibility of reporting annually on their recommendations.
Can you describe how the role and responsibilities of Quebec's commissioner differ from your role and responsibilities at the federal level? Could some aspects of the Quebec commissioner's role be used to strengthen the federal commissioner's role?