I call this meeting to order.
This is meeting number 43 of the Standing Committee on Finance. I want to welcome all of our guests here today at the start of our 2014 pre-budget consultations.
Colleagues, I want to welcome you back to this first meeting of the finance committee in the fall.
We are starting our pre-budget consultations. At our first meeting, we have two panels of an hour and a half each. In the first panel, we have the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, with the director, Mr. Gregory Thomas. We also have from the Fraser Institute a person who has written a budget in the past, Mr. Sean Speer.
From the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, we have a senior fellow, Mr. Philip Cross. From the National Association of Federal Retirees, we have the president, Gary Oberg. Also, from the University of Ottawa we have someone who's familiar to our committee, Mr. Kevin Page.
Welcome to all of you. Thank you so much for being with us.
You each have five minutes for your opening statement. Then we'll have questions from members.
We'll start with Mr. Thomas, please.