Fisheries committee  First, my longest job wasn't for four years. I believe the shortest lasted five years. You can change jobs within the public service, but it's still the same employer. So in the provincial government, it was longer than four years. However, I held one position for five years that I knew, when I started, would not last any longer.

Fisheries committee  I know that Fisheries and Oceans employees, who are working very closely with their colleagues in International Affairs, take these discussions very seriously. They are deeply aware of the importance of these issues. I can tell you very sincerely that no one will be closing his eyes on that subject.

Fisheries committee  Certainly getting things out early is always helpful. Whether or not departments or provincial ministries or even municipalities are able to do things in a timely manner is always difficult. There are always considerations and other priorities that come into play. So in general, yes, the answer is the sooner the better, obviously, if decisions are made.

Fisheries committee  No. Thank you.

Fisheries committee  No. Dansereau Consulting and Facilitation was me, and it was only on the west coast. It's true that the Dansereau family is quite a large family in Quebec.

Fisheries committee  It may--

Fisheries committee  The minister has spoken a number of times on this, and he does take into consideration those items that he would take into consideration, I think, under Bill C-32, which are adjacency and also history. The decision he made in this case was within an existing industrial structure, so between two companies that currently exist within the fishery, I think that was right.

Fisheries committee  Okay, good. That's very good, because that's about how much information I have on the answer. What I will do, though, is take back the question and talk it over with Dave and do as you say, put a fresh set of eyes on it in the same way as I will on the communications questions.

Fisheries committee  Thank you. For those who know the history, it's a very interesting situation. It's a typical resource quandary, because protection of fish has to be paramount to the department, but for the province there's a very real concern that, depending on how the snowpack melts in British Columbia, there can be flooding and there are many communities along the Fraser that could be affected by that flooding.

Fisheries committee  What we want to do is work with the province to determine.... First of all, for us it's fish protection first, and once we set that aside, we ask whether it's possible that there are areas that can also address some of the flood fears. Then we combine the two sets of considerations at the same time and in that way we reduce some of the fear around the flooding.

Fisheries committee  I'm not going to pretend to know the answer at all. I really don't know the answer to that question. I think it is something the coast guard and the commissioner of the coast guard need to put their minds to and the government of the day needs to determine. For me, form always follows function.

Fisheries committee  Yes, I do, actually. You have seen the movement of my career: I've been inside of government and I've been outside of government. I have been in provincial government. Outside of government I was in an NGO, and I know the difficulty of trying to access information, to get these people to even talk to you.

Fisheries committee  Thank you for that question, because it's very interesting. First, I apologize for being late. It's true that it's sometimes hard to explain my career path. I see a very clear common theme running through it. When I decide to change jobs, it's because I've thought about it very seriously.

Fisheries committee  I am familiar with some. There was a desire that there be a much stronger recognition of fisheries as a common property resource, and that's been done. There was a desire that the minister must take into consideration certain things, rather than may take into consideration certain things, and that has been done.

Fisheries committee  Through the common property component, there's a recognition that many things must be taken into consideration and therefore communities will benefit as a result overall. I think what people said in the consultations has been reflected in the changes. At least that's my understanding.