I'd like at this point in time to call the meeting to order. The first item, of course, is to ask the cameras to leave.
Okay, colleagues, witnesses, members of the public, on behalf of the committee I want to welcome everyone here. Bienvenue à tous.
There are a couple of comments I want to make first, colleagues and witnesses. Since the last meeting I guess I've given this whole issue some reflection, and I'm a little troubled about the nature of some of the questions, but perhaps more particularly some of the answers given by some of the witnesses in Monday's hearing. It seems to me that some people have used this committee to make personal insinuations against other witnesses, which I consider to be improper. I cautioned one witness, but on reflection I probably allowed too much latitude to go on, and that latitude will not continue today.
Having said that, I want to urge all members of the committee to exhibit the degree of professionalism in the questions that the Canadian public expects. Keep your questions short and to the point.
Again to the witnesses here, I want to thank you for appearing, but I want to remind you to stick to the facts only. The committee will not tolerate any gratuitous comments about other individuals who may be here or who may not be here. Keep your answers short and relevant to the issues and relevant to the questions at hand and relevant to the issues the committee is investigating.
Mr. Williams.