Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister, for appearing before us. You've come a long way today. It shows that you take your own work seriously and responsibly and that you take our work seriously and responsibly as well. I appreciate that very much.
The buildup to your presentation was, in large measure, the MOU process, the actual working together of the federal and provincial governments with the processing industry and the harvesting industry, represented by the FFAW and the Association of Seafood Producers, among others. You indicated that the MOU process has been lengthy and involved, but that it has come forward with very specific recommendations and courses of action as well.
You indicated that there is no interest on the part of the federal government in rationalization, which may be costly and has been identified as somewhat of a priority, especially when current economic circumstances in the industry do not allow it to self-finance.
Could you first report to the committee the reaction by the federal government to the MOU request for cooperation and participation? Would you be in a position to actually share with the committee the MOU? Is it still a working document, or is it at a point now that you could actually table a copy of the MOU with the committee? In any case, if you could report to us where the federal government stands on the various elements, it would be very helpful to us.