Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In terms of the first part of your question, Mr. Allen, the objectives of the program really were fourfold.
The first objective was to improve the environmental regulation framework for aquaculture in this country. We have made substantial advances towards that goal, particularly, but not only, in British Columbia. You're probably aware that we have had a new Pacific aquaculture regulation in place for a couple of years now. The program lying underneath it, so to speak, is up and running and has moved forward significantly. We've also been working on the development of regulations with respect to the release of aquaculture substances. That regulation has not been completed; it is in the works and has been for some time. There are a whole series of technical issues associated with its drafting, but we are making progress towards improving the regulatory regime overall. The intent was never to be able to say, that's done, and move on to something else. Regulatory improvement was viewed, and still is, as a continuous improvement process.
The second objective of the program was to improve our science base, and in fact over half the funding in the program went into science to support the regulatory initiatives, but also to understand aquaculture more generally.
The funding in that program was back-end loaded. In the five-year profile of the program, we invested more heavily in science in years three, four, and five on the logic that in the first two years, we'd spend time thinking about and identifying science priorities. Rather than just hiring a series of scientists and asking them to study something, in essence what we said was, let's look at the priorities around that. So the science funding was back-end loaded a little bit.
As a result, many of the scientists who have been engaged and doing work are still at that process now. Again, we've made significant progress in our science results, but that was never intended to be something that you would say is finished, per se.
The third objective of the program is to support technology innovation in the industry, with an emphasis on green technology in particular. As you will know from your study on closed containment, the department and the government more generally through the SD Tech Fund has put fairly substantial investments into things like closed containment and other matters in the innovation envelope. Again, that work continues.
Finally, the fourth objective of the program is to position the government to put out a sustainability report that identifies, with a series of criteria, ongoing sustainability issues with respect to aquaculture. That report has had a series of methodological developments, if you will. When we started that, it wasn't something you pull off the shelf and say, here's how that's done. So the methodology of that has evolved and we have a report that is forthcoming shortly.
Those are the four objectives of the program, and I would say all of them are well advanced. None of them are what I would describe as complete, so to speak.