Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, it's difficult for me to answer a hypothetical. I think what I can say is that Canada certainly takes its treaty obligations seriously. As bureaucrats, we're charged with advising the government and ensuring that the obligations Canada has undertaken are indeed met.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, it's difficult for me to speak on behalf of the American commissioners. I think the message we've passed to our counterparts here at the U.S. embassy and at the Department of State is, again, that Global Affairs is quite pleased that the funding issues have been sorted.

Fisheries committee  I believe it does. Yes, Mr. Chair.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I would echo some of the comments from my colleagues last week that the interests of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Government of Canada are very much aligned. Both recognize the importance of the commission's work. There was a decision in the late 1970s that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans would be responsible for the commission, so funding has—

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I think the reason we're here today is that there have been continuing discussions around the benefits—

Fisheries committee  —and the pros and cons of that decision.

Fisheries committee  Other than the discussions that have taken place over the last few years, I'm not aware of a particular challenge.

Fisheries committee  Certainly. I can speak to three that our division tracks closely. These are the International Joint Commission, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park and the International Boundary Commission. Mr. Chair—

Fisheries committee  No. The International Joint Commission deals with water levels and water quality.

Fisheries committee  With respect, I will have to take that back and check to see what can be shared.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, our understanding is that any decisions relating to machinery of government changes rest with the PMO. I think what our colleagues from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said last week was that analysis has been undertaken across government and that the decision now rests at the centre, which we would call the Privy Council Office or the Prime Minister's Office.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, as I said in my opening statement, we are in regular touch with officials at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Yes, we are consulted as the process around this issue winds its way through government.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I wouldn't say there are problems. I think it's more a question of how these decisions are taken and informed. Like our colleagues at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, we've certainly said that we take a very practical approach to the governance of the GLFC. Until and unless there's a decision to change, we're operating under the current construct.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, we do not agree with the legal opinion that there is a conflict of interest. I think, as our colleagues from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans stated last week—and I think what we find very encouraging on this file—is that everyone's working in the same direction.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning. My name is Niall Cronin. Since September 2022, I have been executive director of the U.S. transboundary affairs division at Global Affairs, Canada. I am joined today by Felicia Minotti, who is deputy director in the same division. Before continuing, I'd like to start by stating that the territory on which we are gathered is the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.