Thank you, Mr. Northrup. I'll continue with you.
I am from Quebec. I find it interesting that you spoke about consulting the public. It is clear that natural resource development is the responsibility of the Government of Quebec, and Mr. Coderre was perfectly correct in saying so. The Government of Quebec made a huge blunder by forgetting to inform the public and establishing with the public what could be called a social contract before starting any type of extraction or exploration. We are now in a situation where water use is a major issue.
When you said that you are going to consult people elsewhere in Canada and the United States, I wondered whether things would really compare. The scenarios are completely different. In Quebec, we want to extract shale gas in densely populated agricultural regions. This has a great impact on people's quality of life. It seems to me that an agricultural region is not the same as the northern reaches of a province where there are fewer inhabitants.
Certainly we are talking about energy security. That being said, in Quebec, where hydroelectricity is abundant, do we really need shale gas? That's why Quebeckers are now agreeing to issue a moratorium while we are taking a closer look at the environmental consequences.
Do you think that you can draw from Quebec's experience and mistakes in this situation? Do you think that things in the United States, Quebec and elsewhere in Canada can be equally compared?