Speaking to Mr. Byrne's motion, the one thing about the government operations and estimates committee is that its mandate is expansive, and it has never really been tested. The outer limits have never been pushed or tested. If we're talking about the efficacy of government operations as it pertains to the public's ability to access services, I think that's absolutely within the parameters of our mandate.
I was part of the committee when this committee was formed years ago. We wrestled over the mandate. It was felt that it would be useful to have an oversight committee that kept track of the efficacy of government operations and its service to the public.
If that's what the Auditor General is drawing attention to, I think he probably knows what committee he should and should not be reporting to. If he thought that particular chapter fell within the purview of our committee and felt strongly enough that he wrote individual letters to the chairs of the committee, I don't see how we can ignore that. He's trying to tell us something.