Good afternoon, dear colleagues.
For the first hour of today's meeting, we will hear a briefing and discuss Canada's contribution to humanitarian efforts in the Philippines.
Our witnesses are: from the Department of National Defence, Major-General Michael Hood, director of staff, strategic joint staff; Major-General Steven Noonan, deputy commander, Canadian joint operations command; and from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Leslie Norton, director general, international humanitarian assistance directorate; and Andrew Shore, director, humanitarian affairs and disaster response division.
Thank you very much for joining us here today to discuss this important mission.
General Hood, you have the floor for 10 minutes for opening remarks, please.