Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I wish I could have been with you in person today for the start of this study, but I'm glad you're all here.
I, too, want to take a few minutes to say hello to my colleagues in the Atlantic region and Quebec who have been affected by the hurricane. Our hearts go out to them. I myself come from the Atlantic region and we were lucky in my riding, because the hurricane passed us right by. Again, our hearts go out to you.
Mr. Burns and Mr. Gilchrist, I thank you for being with us today. I have many questions, and please feel free to answer them in English or French.
As you know, right whales have been a part of my landscape since 2017. In my riding, there is a large fleet of crabbers and lobster boats. In the last few weeks, several environmental groups, one from the United States in particular, have said that our measures regarding right whales are not adequate and they were recommending outright that people no longer buy crab, lobster and other fish, I believe, from our regions.
What do you tell your fellow U.S. officials or even environmental groups about the measures we have put in place since 2017?
What are your communication channels? How do you explain to everyone how forward-thinking we are, both in government and across industry, and that we've been doubling down to put measures in place for years?