Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Kroeger, if I understand correctly, the federal government operates on an annual budget of approximately $224 billion. That's the latest figure I heard. When the last government was in power, the sponsorship scandal erupted, which led to an election call exactly one year ago today. The amount of money involved in the sponsorship scandal was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the government's overall operating budget. However, the scandal caused some damage, from an ethical standpoint, and gave rise to subsequent political tricks of various kinds.
I'm relying on your experience and wisdom in such matters, since you have analysed the situation extensively. As elected officials accountable to the voters and in light of the sound work we must do here, how should we be looking at a document? Should we be looking at how the money is spent? Obviously, the Auditor General sounds the alarm and raises some red flags. That's clear to us. Should we be examining a document with an eye to cost and performance, or simply with an eye to political fallout and how the public will react? There is no question that public opinion matters. To the public, one million dollars is a lot of money. However, in this case, it's actually a small amount. We stand up and take notice when figures hit the one billion mark. Therefore, to be effective, what approach should we be taking to ensure that we do our work in the best possible way? I realize that this is a broad question, but I'm putting it to you anyway.