Great, thank you.
Before giving the floor to Mr. Del Mastro, I just want to provide the committee members with some information about the two previous comments.
The clerk has informed me that the Union des artistes should be here Thursday. He has been having trouble getting some of the people to appear. So the committee definitely wants to have the maximum of three witnesses per hour of meeting. The clerk and chair have made a note of that.
Depending on the people's availability, we are doing our best. This Thursday, we will for sure have representatives from the Union des artistes and other people.
Before proceeding and turning the floor over to Mr. Del Mastro, I just want the committee to take note of a letter I received this morning from the chair of the committee, Gordon Brown. I will read you a passage from Mr. Brown’s letter. He says the following:
Due to the passing of my mother this afternoon, please be advised that I will not be attending the meetings scheduled for March 8, 2011 and March 10, 2011. I hereby appoint the Hon. Maxime Bernier to act as Chair of the committee for these meetings.
On behalf of the committee, we are sending Mr. Brown our best wishes and our condolences during these trying times for him and his family. His mother was elderly. But I still hope everything will go as well as it can go for him.
I will now give the floor to Mr. Del Mastro.