Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here today. My first question will be for Mr. Vardy.
In 1992, Mr. Vardy, I was an inshore fisherman, and I remember the day that the announcement was made. I walked out on the wharf in Wild Cove to see the looks on the faces of my dad and his brother, Uncle Mark, who you probably knew well back in the day. However, court documents recently showed that the government made the decision to reopen the commercial northern cod fishery because it would yield political gain.
You've been a deputy minister several times in your career. Do you believe that this decision was made for political gain, based on your knowledge of the bureaucracy and government and how they interact?