I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here for this meeting.
I'm going to start with Ms. Rich. Then I'll go to Mr. Kanigan, who talked about the oil sands earlier. I want to share some data about that with him.
Ms. Rich, I have a two-part question.
About a year ago, as part of this study, we had Chief Adam of the Chipewyan First Nation and Chief Tuccaro of the Mikisew First Nation here. During their testimony, they told us about the toxic spill that occurred at the Kearl mine. They also told us that Imperial was not the only party involved; the Government of Alberta and, of course, the Government of Canada were involved, too.
Furthermore, in 2023, your regulatory agency confirmed that, in 2022 alone, four oil companies operating in the oil sands used more than 200 billion litres of fresh water for eight projects.
In 2024, the Alberta government produced a presentation on drought and risk management. The presentation focuses on drought problems and indicates that the watersheds and tributaries of nine rivers are all considered to be in a state of serious water shortage. It goes on to say that, in the absence of heavy rainfall, spring water levels are expected to be disastrous.
All Albertans depend on water as a resource. It is essential to their health, to the survival of indigenous communities and to the survival of ecosystems.
So here's my question. Have you analyzed conflicts over the use of this resource, taking into account protection of the environment, health and the economy?