Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Ito, I do of course agree that nature should have rights. According to the French scientist Aurélien Barrau, the crises relating to the climate, the loss of diversity, and plastic and chemical pollution are in fact sub-crises of the broader and more encompassing problem, namely, the relationship that human beings have with other living things and nature in general.
Your movement is inspiring, Ms. Ito. Among those it has inspired are the people of the North Shore and the Innu community of Quebec, who have accorded rights, legal status to the Magpie River. That inspired me as well. I introduced a bill in the House to give legal status to the St. Lawrence Seaway and its tributaries. That would be a first in North America, and I am very proud of it.
Much of this movement comes from South America and is inspired by indigenous cultures.
What do you think governments can do to support this movement in their efforts to protect nature and improve our relationship with living things?