Thank you, Chair, and thank you very much to all our presenters on this very important study that we're undertaking on Canadian supply chains and trade diversification.
Lucie, I'm very glad to see you here today, and thank you for presenting on behalf of FedNor.
Lucie, recently I had the pleasure of being parliamentary secretary for FedNor. One of the things that I heard loud and clear from the mayors, communities, indigenous groups, private businesses and not-for-profits was that FedNor, they felt, was not on a playing field that was level with the rest of the regional economic development agencies, FedNor having been created in 1987. The reason for that was independence.
Recently the government changed that and gave FedNor independence. Could you update this committee about what that means? How is it going and what does it mean for those folks who were lobbying so hard, and not just recently, but I think since 1987?