Environment committee  I do, thank you. In fact I would refer to three areas, perhaps not all of them on your list. First of all, I think for a conservation plan to be successful it has to be multidisciplinary. It has to take into account not just science, whether it be basic science or applied scienc

Environment committee  When it comes to the use of departmental resources, we very much have a focus on our priorities. I think the first priority for the department is to ensure that it meets its legislative and regulatory obligations and that we have the science resources to support those obligations

Environment committee  I'm sorry, but I don't have the specific numbers with respect to the reductions that will take place in Atlantic Canada. That's outside my area.

Environment committee  I can't give you a precise number, but it would be in the order of 35 people.

Environment committee  It was November 2011.

Environment committee  The department has undergone a number of reorganizations in the last two or three years, so the configuration of the group has changed. So it might be a bit misleading to give specific numbers, but I can tell you that the programs under my responsibility have to do with species a

Environment committee  No, I don't.

Environment committee  No, I'm sorry, that's outside my area.

Environment committee  My responsibility is to develop regulatory and policy and operational tools to facilitate delivery of the programs on the ground.

Environment committee  We haven't, to my knowledge, done a specific study of that nature. Certainly the department has information regarding the number of biologists, scientists, and so forth who are distributed across the country.

Environment committee  It's been in existence for about two years.

Environment committee  I'm speaking based on information that I have been told; I wasn't there for it. Essentially the department was looking to consolidate its operational and policy functions to create some synergies, if you will. Previously, for example, there were small policy functions distributed

Environment committee  I can only speak for the last six months, unfortunately, but what I see is that we work very closely with colleagues who are responsible for policy related to fisheries management, to aboriginal affairs, aquaculture management, and so forth. I think it allows us to better under

Environment committee  I'm acting director general of ecosystems program policy at DFO in Ottawa.

Environment committee  Sure. Thanks very much.