Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I want to thank Minister Fortier for coming to attend this meeting. I am not a permanent member of this committee, but I have some questions to ask.
One relates to the modernization of the payroll system and the other relates to the sale and leaseback of office buildings. On the payroll system, Minister, I gather it's about 40 years old. Maintenance costs are very high. Documentation probably is not that good. In the last week or two you've sent out an RFI, a request for information, which is a very preliminary step in the process.
You just completed a modernization of the pension, and there would have been a certain logic, it seems to me, to proceed from that to the payroll system. In fact, in your own departmental plans and priorities you talk about this as being a priority initiative and also that it would generate significant savings for the government.
I have a couple of questions. Why is it taking so long to get this moving? Secondly, do you have approved and allocated funds for this project to proceed?