Thank you very much for your testimony and for the answers you gave to my colleagues on the Standing Committee on Health. I thank you for the work that you do.
Firefighting is in my family's history and in our blood. My father was the fire chief in a village of 500 people for some time. I am sure you can understand the realities in rural areas and what a huge responsibility this role represents. In addition, my cousin is a full-time firefighter for a city with 150,000 people.
My region was relatively untouched by the H1N1 flu pandemic, but I understand that the purpose of today's meeting is to prevent a potential pandemic, or at least minimize the effects.
My colleague Matthew Kellway had a good question earlier. I will offer the rest of my time so that you can answer his question.
Go ahead, Matthew.