Thank you, Chair.
Welcome to all the witnesses.
Mr. Lapointe, I'm happy you're bringing up the recommendation of a national fish passage strategy. Some of the stats you provided to us are very alarming. There were 10,000 fish barriers removed in Washington and only 300 in British Columbia. This brings me to something that comes up over and over again in our work: Our waterways are interconnected, and yet the responsibilities associated with these same waterways are siloed.
Can you speak a little bit more about this national strategy and about how important it is that we have not just federal leadership but also have the provinces, municipalities, organizations, industry, first nations and everybody on board and at the table in developing a sound strategy for us to move forward with?