Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, gentlemen, for being here this morning and sharing your expertise with us.
To start with, I'd like to ask some questions to Professor McRae.
Professor McRae, you mentioned the passage that's apparently occurring right now by the Ob River, which is a Norwegian ship that's transiting the Russian Arctic passage between Norway and Japan, carrying Russian gas, I think. I understood from an article that I read yesterday that taking that route saves 20 days of shipping between Europe and Asia. Apparently, it's being escorted by a Russian icebreaker.
Do you see that as becoming a very significant passage for ships carrying that kind of cargo? You mentioned that Russia provides coast guard support for that passage. If, for example, the Canadian Northwest Passage were opened up to similar kinds of shipping, what would be the costs and benefits of providing that kind of coast guard support in the Canadian Arctic, and is it feasible? In your opinion, would there be benefits to helping open up development in the Canadian north, if the Canadian government were to pursue opening up that route? Could you compare the Russian route to the Canadian route for us?