Thank you.
Let me comment to REAL Women that I remember giving a petition in the House, probably over 100 times, that referred to managing the family home and caring for preschool children as an honourable profession that has not been recognized for its value in our society. If that's the starting point, which I think it is, I tend to agree that we have to help people make choices that are fitting for their family. One size doesn't fit all.
I would like to turn to the Green Budget Coalition, which represents a broad range of groups that I think Canadians align themselves with. In fact, I think Canadians are probably hungry for more discussion about a green economy, climate change, and all of the related areas.
One of your areas of recommendation has to do with alien invasive species. You're looking for about $215 million. The first thing that came to me when I was on the environment committee was that the IJC, which is the Canada-U.S. commission that looks at the Great Lakes part of it, has absolutely no teeth whatsoever. It never has done anything, and yet it is apparently the representative body that's going to help us with that problem. When you look at the potential costs and damage of the Asian carp or something like that--and we've dealt with a few--for every one that you get rid of, like the zebra mussels, another two appear.
Have you given any thought to whether we need to recommend that the IJC seek a renewed mandate, one that gives them some teeth to deal with alien invasive species in the Great Lakes?