Senator Gold, as an unaffiliated senator, I was not allowed to ask a question of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans when she was here, so thank you for taking my question about the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy, or FORCE.

Last year, news broke that U.K.-based Sustainable Marine Energy, recipient of some $28 million in federal funding from Natural Resources Canada to develop tidal technology, was forced to halt operations and declare bankruptcy, reporting that the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, or DFO, would not coordinate with Natural Resources or the Province of Nova Scotia on the regulatory authorizations the company required, contributing to the failure.

A DFO task force to study regulatory hurdles made recommendations in March, including to align DFO approvals with provincial and other departmental standards. Is DFO now implementing all task force recommendations?

Thank you. Just very briefly, Senator Gold, in addition to the question I raised on a recommendation, if I could add this one, please: Is DFO acting on the recommendation to increase authorization approvals to 15 years to promote stability and investor confidence? And is it acting to increase decision transparency?