Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I join my colleagues in welcoming you here. We are nearing the end of this study, one which we embarked upon a number of weeks ago to confirm what we understand has been the renewal and the transformation of the forest industry.
My first question is going to be for you, Mr. Macdonald. When an industry experiences the kind of transformation and renewal that the forest industry has, I can only imagine that the same has to happen in regard to the workforce and the skill set that is going to be needed in terms of the new technology and the innovation that is being developed. I know there is potentially, or perhaps some different jobs available now in the industry than there were, and I do understand that a significant amount of funding for the council has been through the Government of Canada's sector council program.
I'm wondering if you could tell us a little bit about some of the steps that have been taken to address the need for setting national standards for worker competencies. Could you perhaps speak to the change in the forest industry in terms of the skill set that is needed?