Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, witnesses, for coming out.
I'm interested to know that you've been working in the background for a year and a half or so and that the minister has taken the initiative. Quite honestly, all of us around this table know that something has to be done with the antiquated act we have in front of us.
I'm wondering about the process a little bit. My background is in Ontario. Not only was I a farmer in the past, but I was also a municipal mayor. I can tell you that in both venues there's a fairly significant level of frustration. It's not necessarily people understanding the navigable waterways legislation, but also the reference that comes to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, trying to follow that particular legislation.
Can you just help, though, with the process a little bit? What we're trying to do here is understand the duplication we have in place, which causes the high cost of projects because of the delay. Quite honestly, all of us are here to understand responsible environmental concerns. We can't sweep that under the rug. It will be an issue, and responsible environmental concerns have to be addressed.
Can you just help us a little bit? We have municipalities, the provinces, territories, and the federal government. From the federal government come transportation and DFO. Can you help us a little bit with the process, so that it's on the record? Maybe people will understand the process we have and how we can simplify it, in short.