Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I'd like to welcome our guests today. We thank you very much for appearing at the committee today.
Before we start I wish to inform our honourable members that we have a parliamentary delegation in the room today from Pakistan. The delegation consists primarily of members of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Finance, and is led by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. The primary goal of their visit to Canada is to strengthen the role played in Pakistan by parliamentary committees and political party caucuses in the national budget-making process.
The delegates plan to use the knowledge and insights they have gained to make practical and realistic plans to strengthen the part that they and other parliamentary committees play in the budget process, particularly with respect to public consultations and engagements.
The delegates are primarily members of the Standing Committee on Finance in Pakistan's National Assembly. They are interested in all aspects of the budgetary process.
The meeting of our committee, the Standing Committee on Health, on this day, May 12, on the subject of the study of the main estimates for 2009-10, will give them yet another insight into the parliamentary budgetary process in Canada.
I would please ask the delegation to stand up so everyone can recognize you. I am very pleased and honoured on behalf of all members of the national health committee of Canada to welcome you to observe the meeting. Thank you.
I would invite you to observe part of our meeting. If you can't stay for the full two hours, we fully understand, but you're very welcome for any part you can stay for.
Today we have our witnesses, in terms of main estimates. I'm going to ask, with the indulgence of the committee, if we could stop at 5:15 because I have some committee business that has to do with travel and a couple of other issues.
Is it the will of the committee to suspend at 5:15?