I'd like to welcome everyone here.
I hope the decorum and rancour of today don't extend over to this committee meeting.
This meeting is called pursuant to the Standing Orders. We are looking at chapter 9 of the 2006 Auditor General's report, “Pension and Insurance Administration--Royal Canadian Mounted Police”.
We are very pleased to have with us today, from the Office of the Auditor General, Hugh McRoberts. He's accompanied by Gordon Stock, principal, and of course we know Hugh is the Assistant Auditor General. Welcome, Mr. McRoberts and Mr. Stock.
From the Canadian Mounted Police we have the new commissioner, Beverley Busson. Welcome, Commissioner, and congratulations. With her is Barbara George, the Deputy Commissioner, Human Resources; Paul Gauvin, the Deputy Minister of Corporate Management and Comptrollership; and Brian Aiken, the chief audit executive.
We also have with us the chief of police for the city of Ottawa, Chief Vince Bevan. From Treasury Board Secretariat we have Paul Charko, assistant secretary, pensions and benefits sector.
I understand that the Office of the Auditor General, the commissioner, and the chief have opening statements. I will call for the opening statements, but before that, I do remind witnesses that this is a rather complicated issue. I want to ask members to keep their questions short and to the point, and I ask witnesses to keep their answers brief and focused on the questions. This committee has zero tolerance for any long-winded, irrelevant answers.
I should point out to members, before I turn it over for the opening statements, that I'm going to suspend at the end to present the minutes of the steering committee, which was held on Monday. However, if there is a vote, I would like to seek the committee's indulgence to put that over until Monday to accommodate Mr. Christopherson, who may have to rush to catch a plane.
Having said that, I'm going to call upon Mr. McRoberts for his opening statement.