Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have one question.
I want to welcome the minister and his officials to committee this morning.
I was just wondering, Minister, when your small craft harbours funding decisions will be announced and communicated to harbour authorities, who have a short season to get the work done in most parts of our country. We need to get our harbours done before the bad weather sets in. So I'm wondering if you can inform us of that.
The second part of my question is not related directly to your department, but while we all know the impact the horrendous ice conditions have had on sealers and their vessels, these conditions have also impacted significantly on crab and shrimp harvesting and processing jobs in plants. I know there's been a request to your colleague for an extension to EI. I'm wondering if you could comment in some way to committee if you're optimistic that we might see an extension to EI for those people affected.