Colleagues, we're going to call this meeting to order. This is the 59th meeting of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.
We are pleased to have the departmental officials with us this morning for the first questions. Obviously, they will have an opening statement, and then we'll have some questions as they relate to Bill C-47.
Colleagues, I know there are a number of questions to start us out. Then we will proceed to clause-by-clause study. Our officials will be staying here with us through this process. We appreciate that, and thank them for being here to assist us in this endeavour of doing the clause-by-clause study.
I'll turn it over to our officials for their opening statement. Then we'll proceed with questions and move on from there.