Thank you, Mr. Chair, for your indulgence.
I certainly appreciate the members appearing before this committee again. I think we all agree that the three areas of study you proposed certainly need to be undertaken and that we need to get the information.
I have several questions, three in particular. As I look at the various issues that are raised, we have the involvement of the provinces in provincial-federal agreements that affect the types of services that maybe are rendered, and so on. We have the provinces, which perhaps compete, or might compete, with one another for the purposes of attracting newcomers to their areas, and which may have some incentives separate and apart from federal funding and involvement. And you've got, of course, communities themselves, with some more proactive than others and interested in trying to attract newcomers. Of course, your umbrella groups are involved on the ground in day-to-day operations in the various provinces.
What would be your suggestion or proposal in terms of how the study in each of these areas should involve those particular elements and groups in a big picture way? How do you suggest they should be engaged in this process?
That's the first question, and I'll come back to the other two.