I would like to report back to the committee--and this will be very brief--in respect of some activities that we'll be undertaking to encourage Canadians to take part in during the pre-budget consultative process.
We're just waiting for final approval on the travel budget that we had put in. Expect that as forthcoming. I look forward to spending some time together in the fall with all committee members as we do our work both here and across the country.
Also, the website will have posted an invitation to all Canadians to participate by way of applying to be witnesses or by way of making submissions to our committee. As well, a letter will go out to each member of Parliament. All of our colleagues will receive this letter, which outlines our encouragement to them to encourage others to be part of the process. We'll distribute the town hall meeting kit that committee members have had a chance to look at. I'm also going to follow up with all whip's offices and caucus chairs to encourage them to do some follow-up in whatever way they deem appropriate so that we do genuinely reach out and get as many people involved as possible.
I will say this, I think it's been made very clear to me from committee members that we want input, but we want input to be focused on the topics that we've outlined. In the past I've noticed a tendency, too often repeated by some of our witnesses, to branch into a number of areas of pet concern to them, which are not necessarily within the mandate of this committee or within our ability to address.
I believe in the inventory management principle of garbage in, garbage out, and I don't want garbage to come to this committee and I don't want this committee's time to be wasted. I do understand that we need to reach out in a broad-based way. We're going to try to strike a balance of those two things. We're going to encourage as many as possible to submit and to be part of the process, but out of respect to you, my colleagues, we want those presentations and that input to be focused somewhat on the topics that are within our jurisdiction. So we're going to proceed in that way.
Mr. Savage, please.