Okay. Fair enough. I'll speak first and then I'll move an amendment.
I think Mr. McCauley has done a good job of outlining the gravity of problems with the Phoenix payroll system. Recognizing that we're very short on time, I won't add to the litany of problems that Canadians have had with Phoenix. I will speak to the motion just to say that Phoenix is well within the mandate of our committee, and I think it's unreasonable that our committee has not yet heard from the new Minister of Public Services and Procurement or from the head of the ministerial working group on Phoenix.
The argument we've heard from the government side of the table is that we shouldn't study Phoenix until after the Auditor General reports. I certainly think it's good that the Auditor General is looking at Phoenix, and our committee will be eager to examine the results of that report. If the Minister of Public Services and Procurement does not want to appear until after the Auditor General reports, that's probably fair enough.
However, it also makes sense to hear from the head of the ministerial working group on Phoenix. It would be entirely possible for that minister to report to our committee on the work they've done to date before the Auditor General reports. There's really no need to wait until after the AG's report to get some sort of an update on what this ministerial working group has been doing and what it has achieved.
I speak in support of the motion. However, I would now move to amend the motion to change “October 31” to “November 30”.