Environment committee  Merci. Thank you for the time here today. I serve as executive director for one of the oldest councils in Canada. Terrestrial invasive plants have a major impact on the environment and economy. That's been documented worldwide. So a proactive approach on the part of the Governme

Environment committee  It's a general question. I would say there is a more rapid spread of invasive plants on disturbed landscapes. It's a big issue in British Columbia after the fire seasons. But it's not limited to disturbed landscapes. There are a number of species that can overtake healthy ecosyst

Environment committee  An undisturbed one.... The two examples I was thinking of were on a disturbed landscape, but from an agricultural side. From an agricultural side, a species like an ox-eye daisy, which is coast to coast, can overtake what is considered to be a healthy hayfield or a healthy grazin

Environment committee  There absolutely is a major role for Agriculture Canada and the provincial ministries of agriculture, but it absolutely isn't seen to be the overall coordinating role. Because traditionally weed acts in Canada have been some of our oldest regulations, province by province. Weeds

Environment committee  Thank you. There absolutely is a role for the public. It has to involve the public. All the councils that are set up across the country are set up with diverse boards. They can't be just government. In British Columbia, for example, we have federal, provincial, and we have ab

Environment committee  Thank you. I think more can be done. There's work in the last couple of years that has started around stronger regulations, particularly for the borders and importing and exporting. There's an opportunity to do much more in that area. So in order to keep them out of Canada, I t

Environment committee  I'm familiar with it. I'm not sure I'll have the depth of knowledge you want, but go for it.

Environment committee  First of all, I don't know exactly how it was introduced. I know we've done a lot of research, and have brought about a stronger white pine that can be resistant to blister rust. I can't tell you exactly how it was introduced. I can say that there are a number of tree diseases or

Environment committee  Our agency has no power or authority, but we do bring parties together. CFIA is on our board of directors. On things like imports, we're working with the horticulture industry on the right way to reduce the introduction of both plant and pest invasives.

Environment committee  We're starting the collaboration input on that, but the big issues that come up are imports of seeds, often unintentional seeds because they're part of a filler product, and the other one is importing invasive plants that haven't yet been listed on a weed act or something. That i

Environment committee  It would be, but it has to be regionally specific. The plants that are listed for B.C. are totally different from the plants of threat to Alberta.

Environment committee  I'm aware of it, but it is not the kind of import list that meets the needs across Canada. It's too generic. They're working through it, but it varies so much for both seeds and plants. The horticulture industry in British Columbia is obviously shipping to Ontario and Newfoundlan

Environment committee  I can't give you the answers on the economic impacts of climate change. Where our council and province have been at is that the changing climate is allowing species.... Even on the horticulture side, they're regrouping the grow zones in the eastern states. The same thing is going

Environment committee  Oh, sorry.

Environment committee  I know from meeting with Environment Canada that is one of the factors. You're dealing with ecosystem resilience, actually. If you're dealing with ecosystem resilience, whether it's resilient at this zone for 2011 or that zone in 2020, the question still is the resiliency ability