The Panel was mandated to inquire into the environmental, economic, social, health, and heritage effects of the Project and their significance, to examine proposals for the mitigation of adverse effects, and to record assertions of Project effects on the Aboriginal rights and treaty rights of the affected First Nations and Métis peoples. [...] Then the Panel conducted an assessment of the need for the Project and potential alternatives and reported on the benefits and economics of the Project to aid the governments in their decisions. [...] With its appendices, it includes the legislative framework and requirements for the review, the Panel's mandate and responsibilities, a description of the Proponent's environmental assessment methodology, the Panel's approach, and the key milestones of the review process, including public participation. [...] September 5, 2012 was chosen to demarcate the baseline case from the future case; and • A Project case demonstrating the predicted status of the VC, taking into account the residual effects of the Project combined with those due to other projects and activities as identified in the future case without the Project. [...] The Panel considered all of the information gathered since the beginning of the review until the close of the Project's official record on February 3, 2014.