Thank you.
I echo your words, Shawn. I want to thank Mr. Cannings for his own long-term contribution to citizen science.
In general, the monitoring performed by citizen scientists—specifically, the breeding bird survey we coordinated with the U.S. and Mexican governments for several decades—helps, once it is validated and curated, and it contributes to decision-making for conservation. Some of those examples include evaluating conservation and management actions, and prioritizing the conservation activities we do. As we discussed, for example, it targets declines identified in aerial insectivore, grassland bird and shorebird migration. It helps with sustainable hunting. It also contributes to prioritizing conservation in land-use planning.
I think another key element worth noting is that it empowers Canadians to contribute to conservation actions, including, for example, turning that information into conservation activities to protect species at risk. As was noted, this information is used by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which provides advice to the environment minister on risks to wildlife species. It can even be used in the context of regulatory decisions by the department.