Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, Dr. Carty.
I want to start by saying, as a matter of context, that one of the responsibilities we have here as parliamentarians is to be conscious of the value that is received for the public dollars we invest in various offices and programs.
I note that your office budget in the last fiscal year crept up on $815,000. It was forecast to be over $1 million this year. I also take note of the fact that in the last four years, on average, your expenditures on hospitality and travel crept up about $100,000 per year. That's coming up on 12% or 13% of your total budget.
And looking at some of the details, in addition to the mid-$230,000—I'm not sure what your actual salary is, I don't have the specifics, but the salary category is between $222,000 and $262,000—this is a big expenditure.
You've had extensive travel and expenses submitted for this office, and yet you indicate in your remarks that your office was inadequately funded and staffed. Dr. Carty, from what I see, wouldn't you take some responsibility for making sure that things like travel expenses are kept more in line so you would have more dollars available for this office?