Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you very much for being here today to speak with us.
I'm a member of Parliament from Nova Scotia, but let me assure you that as a member of this committee and as the fisheries critic for the official opposition, I am very seized by the concerns that have been brought before this committee about the problems with invasive species in the Great Lakes. It's a huge and complicated issue.
I marvel at the challenge your organization, and the federal government, the U.S., the commercial fisheries, the land owners, and environmental groups all face in trying to grapple with these species, as well as the complexity of understanding the connection between the different species. We heard the other day about the goby that eats the mussels that created botulism—it's unbelievable—plus the sea lamprey and so on. Clearly, the partnerships are pretty key, to say nothing of the determination of staff like yours.
Ms. Neary, you raised concerns about the proposed changes to the Fisheries Act, particularly as they relate to habitat protection. I wonder if you would speak to those a bit because, in some of the testimony I've heard over the past couple of weeks, habitat is so difficult to nail down, as it's so interrelated. Would you speak to that?
Also, would you advise the committee whether or not you or your department was advised of the proposed changes before they were introduced in the House a couple of weeks ago?