I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number 26 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
The committee is meeting today from 3:34 p.m. to 5:34 p.m. We will hear from the Auditor General and her colleagues as part of the committee's study on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind all participants at this meeting that screenshots or taking photos of your screen is not permitted.
To ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
Interpretation in this video conference will work very much like a regular committee meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen to floor, English or French. Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. When you are ready to speak, you can click on your microphone icon to activate your mike. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute. To raise a point of order during the meeting, committee members should ensure their microphone is unmuted and say “point of order” to get the chair's attention.
The clerk and the analysts are participating in the meeting virtually today. If you need to speak with them during the meeting, please email them through the committee email address. The clerk can also be reached by calling his mobile phone. For those people who are participating in the committee room, please note that masks are required, unless seated, and when physical distancing is not possible.
I will now invite the Auditor General to make her opening statement.