Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here. It's a pleasure to have most of you, at least, here in one meeting.
An argument could be made that Canadians would prefer that the government not streamline your offices. You're kind of the front line for accountability; I think of all the places that we could be cutting, it could be elsewhere. I understand that you're doing what you can with the resources you have, and that is admirable, of course.
Madam Shepherd, you mentioned that with the changes to your budget, you could “manage”. To me, and probably not to Canadians, “manage” is not a particularly encouraging word. In what respect do you think the budgetary restraints that you're under will impede your work? What is the most significantly reduced area of spending? And should Canadians be worried about you being able to fulfill your mandate?