Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank the witnesses for the information they have provided to us.
My questions are for Mr. Rees.
You talked about protecting the environment while contributing to the economy. This coincides with what the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development said to us. He stated that it was possible now to associate sustainable development, the protection of the environment and the economy. Indeed, studies show that several natural resource companies have made profits after having gone green. We are talking about billions of dollars.
You say that there has to be good management of aquatic resources for human beings and the economy to be in better health. I would like to know what you think of promoting and applying the precautionary principle. That means emphasizing and strengthening environmental legislation, and not curtailing it. In fact, in our consultations in Toronto, several people spoke highly of the precautionary principle.