Thank you all for being here on short notice today. I think we gained a lot from all of your presentations.
I happen to be the only member of Parliament on this committee from west of Winnipeg, so when I say that the Energy East pipeline is very important to the three western provinces, I was heartened to hear both of the presenters from Atlantic Canada advocating for Energy East.
We know that the federal cabinet will decide whether to approve Energy East. Presumably that decision will be based on the comprehensive review by the National Energy Board. One other factor, I would hope, is that the federal cabinet will listen to the input from their caucus members, all of whom sit around this table today.
I would ask whether you, as representatives from your region, have been having these discussions with your members of Parliament from the regions of Atlantic Canada and expressing to them how important Energy East is.
After they have answered that question, I would like to ask each one of the presenters today to simply answer yes or no as to whether they support the Energy East pipeline.