Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. Thank you for allowing us to be here today.
I just want to add a few comments. I won't take too long.
To put it in perspective, I was appointed to the board of the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority in March 2007, so I've been there for about two and a half years. That's a short time compared to how long this issue has been before the marine community.
When I joined the board, I immediately saw that this issue had to be a priority for me. To get resolution, I was greeted with a file of letters from a number of transport ministers admonishing my predecessor for not getting the issue resolved. My background is a marine background, and I had a relationship with a number of the players on this issue, including the members of the Canadian Shipowners Association. My perception of where the situation had gotten to was that there was a lack of trust, a significant lack of trust, between the industry, the pilotage authority, and the Canadian pilots, who are another group that is not here today. I felt that because of my relationship with these people I could bridge that trust issue and help resolve the issue.
So immediately, within about a month, when I had my feet on the ground and was briefed on the file a little more, Robert and I initiated a process to try to get the matters resolved, but we have been unsuccessful. But as Robert has pointed out, we are close to a resolution of the issue as we stand now.