I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number 33 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The committee is meeting today from 3:36 until 5:36. We will hear from witnesses as part of the committee's study of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then we will go in camera to discuss committee business and consider our report on the Nuctech security equipment contract.
I'll take this opportunity to remind all participants at this meeting that screenshots or taking photos of your screen are not permitted. To ensure an orderly meeting, I will outline a few rules to follow. Interpretation of the video conference will work very much like in a regular committee meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen of floor, English or French. Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. When you are ready to speak, you can click on the 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 on his mobile phone.
For those people who are participating in the committee room, please note that masks are required unless seated or when physical distancing is not possible.
I will now invite the witnesses to make their opening statements.
We will start with Mr. Scott Jones from the Communications Security Establishment.