Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you, dear guests, for joining us this morning and sharing your expertise with us.
I also want to say hello to the students who have joined us.
I hope that those who are not bilingual are able to appreciate the amazing service interpreters provide to us on the Hill. That is a point of pride of Canada's legislation on official languages.
That said, let's come back to our discussion. I will begin with you, Ms. Roux.
Of course, no one is against the development of the Port of Montreal in any way. We are all aware of the port's significant economic contribution. The same goes, on a different level, for Trois-Rivières. I know that the collaboration between the two administrations is close and that it is bearing fruit.
I am still concerned about economic development and port expansion being able to align with the respect for or the protection of the environment. Yet, according to associate professor at the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Émilien Pelletier, the dredging of the river bed may re-circulate contaminants that would have remained buried forever, and the contamination may extend all the way to Lake Saint-Pierre. So it affects my region.
My question is very simple. Does the Montreal Port Authority believe that river dredging is absolutely necessary in its Contrecoeur project?