Fisheries committee  It is the reality in Quebec, but it is also the reality everywhere, I think. There is certainly a level of frustration. We continue to work with them, and we continue to make them a priority. That is all we can do.

Fisheries committee  As in any planning situation, short term things, the immediate ones, always have to be done. If we are well organized, we can ensure that not all our money goes to the crises and that, little by little, we can fix the problems that will help us in the long term. Our investment plans are built on that.

Fisheries committee  As you know, David has been in the department a lot longer than I have, and I'm going to ask him to answer that because he understands the history of what we can and can't do.

Fisheries committee  It's certainly our intent and our desire to make as much of this available as possible, because in my view, if information would be made available under ATIP, why not make it available prior to it being ATIPed? So where we need to protect privacy, we need advice on when and how to do it.

Fisheries committee  Thank you. As you can imagine, we take it very seriously. There is a limit to what we can do. Just yesterday, we completely revised our action plans for small craft harbours, internally at least, to make sure that we are as organized as we can be so that we can do the best job possible with what we have.

Fisheries committee  I wouldn't necessarily say altering the list. I would say the minister's office, as you know, receives information from a variety of sources. People write to the minister all the time. We use that information--which they will receive--to make sure the list we have is as accurate as possible.

Fisheries committee  I'm not sure I can at this point, because we provide advice of all types to ministers, and it's considered to be advice to a minister.... The advice we finally give at the end of the day will be equally valid from a technical and engineering point of view. It's simply because there's new information that would come in.

Fisheries committee  I don't think it's up to us to determine what can or can't be exempt, because the rules for that piece of legislation are fairly clear. So I don't know specifically, and I'm not going to pretend I know, but we can certainly get back to you with what the procedures are around that kind of information.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, and thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you also for the opportunity to come back and answer further questions. We'll do the best we can. Often in our language we talk about things being with the minister, but in fact they're with the minister's office, as the minister said.

Fisheries committee  Thank you. I don't know the specifics of the act as you're describing it, but I do know that the department has a very significant role in all major project approvals. Where there's going to be an impact on fish or habitat, then obviously there's a whole other government process with the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.

Fisheries committee  Thank you for the question. I consider myself to be in a permanent state of development, always, until I die, and every job that I take I hope to contribute based on what I bring, but I also learn while I'm there. I think it was quite fortuitous that I spent the last year at Indian and Northern Affairs, because there was a hole, I think, in my own development on the very significant and important files as they affect first nations in Canada.

Fisheries committee  The deputy minister travels, of course. Having an associate deputy minister gives the deputy minister, or an associate deputy minister, the opportunity to travel, since someone stays at home. So I always act in her absence. That gives her the chance to travel more and to meet with the communities, and the same is true for me.

Fisheries committee  Three days ago, I talked with the people in our Quebec office about that very thing. We started planning. I'll wait until they tell me what they think I should see. I'll definitely meet Quebec government officials. We're going to find the best places to visit communities, because it's part of my nature to do that.

Fisheries committee  Yes.

Fisheries committee  That's not how it's going to be. In professional terms, I know British Columbia better than any other part of the country. I've seen all the small communities there. I've spent time in those communities. I can't say the same for Quebec or the East. My intention is to get a better idea of the real issues.