Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[Technical difficulties] we held several meetings, and met with a lot of people. I think everyone who testified before the committee talked to us about the Canada Water Agency and gave it a mandate.
I entertained myself by noting some of what was said. Representatives from a leaders’ coalition of the water surveillance community, the Living Lakes Network, the AquaAction organization, the Gaspé Beaubien foundation, the city of Montreal, the Canadian Association on Water Monitoring, the Eau secours organization and several others all made recommendations to the agency. Among those recommendations, we specifically heard that eliminating ministerial silos is essential; taking an integrated approach is necessary; the barrier between Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and the Minister of the Environment must come down; co‑operation between federal departments needs improvement; and a collaborative and intergovernmental approach is needed, from ideas to implementation.
Your shoulders may feel heavier just listening to it.
If I understand correctly, the Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment will have the authority to coordinate effectively—we hope—meetings and collaborations between different levels, such as between the federal government and provincial and territorial governments, as well as indigenous communities.
What will we put in place to ensure real, productive and definitive conversations not only between levels of government, but also between federal departments?
What we are hearing is that departments work in isolation. Do you think that there will be more collaboration, or is this just one more structure that will have to be taken into account?