Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, as well, to the witness. I'm glad to have the opportunity to speak with the Premier of Saskatchewan, even though I'm still not entirely sure why he was invited to appear before the committee. We are actually supposed to be studying other matters, specifically related to the estimates.
I'm sure you'll agree, Mr. Moe, that climate change is having a growing impact on communities. In the past few years, a number of communities in Saskatchewan have been affected by severe forest fires. The number of fires has significantly increased over the years, affecting public health, people's health. Residents had to be evacuated from their homes.
In 2023, your province experienced 231 forest fires, which is much higher than your usual average of 150 fires. There were not only more fires, but also 10 times as many hectares affected, so 300,000 hectares as opposed to the usual 30,000. Smoke covered the sky for days. People had trouble breathing.
Canada lags behind most other countries when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. I assume you're familiar with the targets in the Paris Agreement, which Canada signed.
How do you propose making big companies and major polluters pay for pollution? I'm talking about those that have a real impact on the climate and the environment.
What's your game plan, Mr. Moe?