I call this meeting to order. It's my pleasure to welcome you all here today to the seventh meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are studying the current debt crisis and economic turmoil in the United States and Europe, and its potential impact on Canada.
Colleagues, we have two panels here this morning. On the first panel, we're very pleased to welcome the Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, as well as two officials from the Department of Finance: Monsieur Benoît Robidoux, assistant deputy minister, economic and fiscal policy branch, and Mr. Doug Nevison, director of the fiscal policy division of the economic and fiscal policy branch. I understand that if need be, there are two other officials from the department available to members.
We have a short time period, an hour, with the minister and officials, so I am going to ask the minister to begin his opening statement, and then we'll proceed to questions from members.
Minister, welcome to the committee. Thank you so much for being with us. We look forward to your comments.