Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister, for being here today.
Mr. Lauzon noted that this was his first time here and he's bit of a rookie at this. I guess this is my ninth year, and I've seen some versions of the minister for natural resources, so I think you'll forgive me to some degree for my question. I've put it before to previous ministers and it comes from my background as an exploration mining geophysicist. I'm probably the only member of Parliament, at least on this committee, who's actually done geological mapping. As a result, I have a bit of a personal interest in the geo-mapping for energy and minerals program.
I was wondering, Mr. Minister, if you could give us a bit of an update, an overview of the program—it has been going for a few years—and particularly talk about how it impacts and affects northern communities. I view this as an infrastructure-based program, even though a lot of people won't view it as infrastructure. But it is infrastructure for our mining industry. It's infrastructure for our resource-based industries, and we have to renew this with its funding.
I would like a bit of an update and the committee's indulgence on a review of the geo-mapping for energy and minerals.