Thanks, Chair.
Thank you, all of the witnesses, for being here today.
Thank you in particular to the witnesses who spoke so eloquently and powerfully about the way that TMX, pipelines in general, and oil and gas development benefit all of Canada. This essential infrastructure is crucial to Canada's national interest and is also crucial to helping support allies around the world.
Thank you for so accurately explaining the ways in which energy development in oil and gas is absolutely critical to human flourishing around the world and also for outlining the reconciliation opportunities related to this essential infrastructure.
Dr. Tombe, I might start with you related to the cost overruns, given your focus in your presentation.
As you have outlined, of course, the government has overseen just a staggering, ridiculous cost overrun on the expansion, which started with a private sector estimate of about $5.4 billion and, as you explained, has ballooned to $34 billion today.
Could you give the committee some insights on how these cost overruns occurred and how this estimate got so out of whack?
If you have any comments on any of the government's anti-resource development policies that contributed to those cost overruns, which ones were they and how did that happened?