Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madame Merriam is probably caught up in the security downstairs. She'll be along shortly.
I'll start now, Mr. Chairman, since the committee is ready.
I'd like to start with a brief introductory comment, which will be provided to the committee in bilingual format.
I'd like to try to explain how legal aid is funded through the budget system. As you know, it's quite complex. One has to look at both the main estimates and the supplementary estimates to understand. Before we get into questions, I thought it might be useful to at least try to explain the funding. I know in the past we've often been confused as to exactly what the total numbers are and what the numbers represent.