I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number eight of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.
Pursuant to the motion adopted on September 16, the committee is meeting to commence a briefing with the Minister of National Defence on the main estimates, supplementary estimates A, the minister’s mandate and NATO defence spending.
Today’s meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.
Before we continue, I would ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines on the table. The measures help prevent audio feedback incidents, and protect the health and safety of all participants and interpreters.
As a matter of protocol, I remind witnesses and members to please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic, and please mute yourself when you are not speaking.
For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English, or French. For those in the room, please use the earpiece and select the desired channel.
As a reminder, all comments should be addressed through the chair.
For members in the room, if you wish to speak, please raise your hand. For members on Zoom, please use the “raise hand” function. The clerk and I will try to manage the speaking order as best we can. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this regard.
I would like to welcome our witnesses. We have the Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence. Thank you for being here, and thank you for agreeing to come, yet again, in short order.
We also have General Jennie Carignan, chief of the defence staff, Canadian Armed Forces; Mario Pelletier, commissioner, Canadian Coast Guard; Caroline Xavier, chief, Communications Security Establishment; Natasha Kim, associate deputy minister, Department of National Defence; Heather Sheehy, assistant deputy minister, materiel, Department of National Defence; and Jonathan Moor, chief financial officer, Department of National Defence.
I will now invite the minister to present his opening remarks. You have up to five minutes. Welcome, again.