Before I do, Mr. Chair, I'd like to come back to the issue of the budget. We did have two witnesses, Ms. Fisher and Mr. Allen, who very gracefully acceded to participating by phone conference--it's not the ideal way to have witnesses from British Columbia brought in. British Columbia, traditionally, is disadvantaged by its remoteness from Ottawa. I would like to stress for other witnesses that we ensure they're given the best possible opportunity to be witnesses and not discouraged from coming to Ottawa, if that's their preference.
