Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome. I represent the Bloc Québécois, along with my colleague, Yvon Lévesque. My riding is that of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine. It is perhaps worth mentioning to you that the Bloc Québécois, as a member of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, is very interested in all of the issues involving fisheries. I was not aware of your situation; this is the first time I have heard talk of it.
We are currently facing the same problem with regard to another file, that of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. The funding for organizations devoted to economic development or research has been questioned. Fortunately, thanks to various interventions made by Quebec, we succeeded in somewhat changing the government's opinion or way of doing things. In the end, it came back on its decision to put an end to the funding of these organizations. I would not say that the battle is completely over, but I am seeing that the problem exists elsewhere. In other words, we have seen the same thing crop up in other circumstances.
In order to help me defend you, I would like to know more about your organization. If I do not know who you are, I will not get anywhere.
What does your annual funding amount to? How many people work with you? You stated that you receive funding from other sources. What amount or what percentage does this other funding account for? From what I understand, you cover several provinces. Do you have offices spread about the area? Do you only have offices in St. John's, Newfoundland? How do you go about covering such a vast territory?