Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all our witnesses.
Ms. Yalnizyan, I'll start with you and try to sum up a bit of what you were saying just in terms of some of the fiscal risks to the Canadian budget that were also reiterated by Minister Oliver with regard to the low oil prices internationally, threats to growth, and the government's decision to embed in this coming budget some very expensive items. Income splitting is one that stands out as is the plan that has been introduced in this budget implementation act, which we're dealing with right now, around taking money out of the employment insurance fund to use for a potential job growth strategy.
I wondered if you could talk to me first about the general threat involved in making these fiscal decisions as the government faces what it projects to be approximately a $10-billion surplus, given the realities of the global and Canadian economies and the risk to revenue for the Canadian treasury.