I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number 137 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Pursuant to the order of reference of Monday, March 18, 2024, and the motion adopted on Monday, December 11, 2023, the committee is meeting to discuss Bill C-59, an act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 21, 2023, and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023.
Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to Standing Order 15.1. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.
I'd like to make a few comments for the benefit of members and witnesses.
Although this room is equipped with a powerful audio system, feedback events can occur. These can be extremely harmful to interpreters and cause serious injuries. The most common cause of sound feedback is an earpiece worn too close to a microphone. We therefore ask all participants to exercise a high degree of caution when handling the earpieces, especially when your microphone or your neighbour's microphone is turned on, to prevent incidents and safeguard the hearing health of the interpreters. I invite participants to ensure that they speak into the microphone into which their headset is plugged and to avoid manipulating the earbuds by placing them on the table away from the microphone when they are not in use.
As a reminder, all comments should be addressed through the chair. For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members on Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function. The clerk and I will manage the speaking order as best we can. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this regard.
All virtual witnesses for this meeting have been tested, and everybody is ready to go.
With us today, as we start our afternoon panels, from the Council of Canadian Innovators, we have Laurent Carbonneau, director of policy and research, and Nicholas Schiavo, director of federal affairs.
From the Daily Bread Food Bank, we have Neil Hetherington, chief executive officer.
From the Laurentian University Faculty Association, we have Fabrice Colin, president, and Linda St-Pierre, executive director and chief steward.
From the Union des municipalités du Québec, we have Martin Damphousse, president and mayor of Varennes, and Samuel Roy, strategic policy adviser. They are with us via video conference.
Welcome to all.
With that, we are going to start with opening remarks of up to five minutes.
We will start with the Council of Canadian Innovators.
Go ahead, Mr. Schiavo.