Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Minister, thank you for coming today.
The committee heard extensive testimony, and it's true that many concerns were raised. However, workers were really sounding the alarm about the state of the boreal forest. Workers are thinking about their jobs now, but also about the future of employment, especially in rural regions. I know this because, in my riding, we have rural communities and forestry industries. There is real concern by workers but also industry to ensure that the forest is healthy.
We're talking a lot about caribou, but could you clarify something? What do you mean when you say it's a canary in a coal mine? What does that mean for the state of the boreal forest?