Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to start with an assertion. Having sat in on these hearings about science in DFO, they're consistent. I want to thank all the witnesses. The witnesses we had May 5 were also consistent. What we see relating to science in DFO and the aquaculture industry is not incompetence, not scientific illiteracy, but deliberate and dishonest efforts to block science, keep a minister in the dark and advantage the industry.
I put this to Dr. Mordecai when he testified May 5: What could possibly be the motive? He said there was a conflict of interest. DFO has a responsibility to promote this industry and, at the same time, to regulate it.
I wanted to ask Alex Morton this. Rather than add layers of new voices, like a director of wild salmon, which I support, if there's rot, don't we want to cut the rot out? Don't we want to figure out how to get rid of the conflict of interest, so that we're not constantly trying to chase real science and get it in front of a minister whose department should provide that minister with real science?
Thank you, Alex Morton, for your heroic work.