Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to ask the representative of the coast guard a few questions.
I should let you know I'm from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and this year we're celebrating the 100th anniversary of Captain Bob Bartlett's explorations in the north with Mr. Peary. I'd recommend his book, which I just read, called The Log of Bob Bartlett , which was written in 1927. It is a fascinating study of the voyages to the north. It was actually around the time Canada was starting patrols in 1903, so it was a few years after that.
Can you tell us, Mr. Da Pont, whether or not the coast guard has any independent mandate within the north? I know you've talked about support activities here, but what I'm getting at is this. Do you say, “We need this kind of asset to support our mandate”--i.e., we need more icebreakers, we need more patrol vessels, we need more of this or that--or does someone else say, “Well, we'll give you the job based on the tools you already have”?
Just tell us about your mandate. Do you have any independent mandate in the north?