I call the meeting to order. Welcome to meeting number 22 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Pursuant to the committee's motion adopted on Friday, February 5 of this year, the committee is meeting to study all aspects of COVID-19 spending and programs.
Today's meeting is taking place in hybrid format pursuant to the House order of January 25 of this year. Therefore, members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.
The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. The webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee.
I would also remind folks that we're not to take screenshots, in accordance with the House of Commons rules.
I welcome the witnesses from across the country. If they could hold their remarks to about five minutes, that would be helpful. Then, after all witnesses have made their presentations, we will go to a series of rounds of questions with members.
I might point out as well that although the motion says “COVID-19 spending and programs”, if you have any brilliant ideas on where we should be going on spending when we put COVID-19 behind us, we're always open to that as well.
Before I start with the first witness, I'll clear up a little confusion I might have caused at the close of the meeting the other day in regard to next week. I don't think the day is established yet, and it's a constituency week. On whatever day it is, we will deal with Bill C-224, which is Mr. Ste-Marie's private member's bill. We will start clause-by-clause on that. That will be followed by Larry Maguire's private member's bill, and that will complete the day. Anyone who has witnesses for Mr. Maguire's bill, please have your witness list in to the clerk by Sunday night to give time to have them appear the following week.
The other day next week, we will have a public meeting with the law clerk relative to the motion that passed in an earlier session of this committee.
Mr. Kelly and Ms. MacEwen aren't here yet, so I guess we'll start with Mr. Mike Cassidy, with Coach Atlantic Maritime Bus.
The floor is yours.