Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Gentlemen, it's good to see you again and have you here before the committee. We can explore a few issues that are hanging out there.
I wanted to start with the decision around the reopening strategy for the three major herring stock areas off British Columbia: the west coast of Vancouver Island, the central coast, and Haida Gwaii. I raise it because it appears, according to the memorandum for the minister dated December 9, that the minister went against the advice of officials. It's having particularly interesting consequences, given the fact that the Nuu-chah-nulth have successfully argued for an injunction on the west coast of Vancouver Island and now the central coast first nations are threatening to blockade or otherwise disrupt the commercial herring fishery in the central coast.
I wonder if you could give us some explanation of why this decision was made. I'd ask the minister, of course, but we had her for only a short period of time. There are important consequences in terms of relations with the first nations and the disruption in relations between the commercial fishery and the first nations. So I wonder if you could give me an answer on that one, please.