I call the 43rd meeting of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology to order. We are continuing our study, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), of Canadian science and technology. We have with us here today six federal departments to discuss what they're doing with respect to science and technology.
From the first department, the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food--and we were at the facility last week in Saskatoon--we have the director general of the research branch, Gilles Saindon.
From the Department of the Environment, we have the acting assistant deputy minister of the science and technology branch, Mr. John H. Carey. Welcome.
From the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we have Jacqueline Gonçalves, director general of integrated business management. Welcome to you.
From the Department of Health, we have Ms. Karen Dodds, assistant deputy minister of the health policy branch.
From the Department of National Defence, we have the chief of staff, office of the assistant deputy minister of science and technology, Mr. René LaRose.
And from the Department of Natural Resources, we have the associate assistant deputy minister and chief scientist, Mr. Geoff Munro.
We have up to five minutes for an opening presentation for each witness here. Then we'll go to questions from members.
Members, we do have a motion from Madame Brunelle, which we will hopefully deal with in the last 30 minutes of this meeting. So we will go for about an hour and a half with the witnesses, and then we'll have the motion for 30 minutes at the end.
Mr. Saindon, we'll start with you and then work our way down.