Thank you.
I'd also like to inform you that the Secretary of State for International Development, Randeep Sarai, has expressed interest in meeting with the committee and will appear next Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. For your information, a draft version of the committee calendar was distributed yesterday by the clerk.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Tuesday, September 23, the committee is meeting on the study of Canada's Arctic strategy.
I would now like to welcome our witnesses for the first hour of the meeting.
From the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, we have Virginia Mearns, Arctic ambassador and senior official to the Arctic Council. We have Robert Sinclair, former director general, Arctic, Eurasian and European affairs and newly appointed ambassador to Sweden from Canada.
Congratulations.
Up to five minutes will be given for opening remarks, after which we'll proceed with rounds of questions.
I now invite Ms. Mearns to make an opening statement of up to five minutes.