Mr. Chairman, honourable members, I am pleased to appear before you again. At the last Public Accounts Committee meeting I explained DCC's role as contracting authority for DND infrastructure projects and how DCC is accountable for taking the measures necessary to protect the sensitive information and assets identified by the department.
Since the April meeting of the committee, DCC has made excellent progress on its action plan to address the observations and recommendations of the Auditor General in her October 2007 report. Specifically, DCC has collaborated with DND in the review of security requirements for projects completed during the Auditor General's exercise and for all active contracts. As noted, DCC and DND have signed a revised memorandum of understanding that addresses our respective roles and responsibilities for the management of industrial security, and we've established a framework for the innovative management of security, as recommended by the Auditor General.
DCC has developed and implemented a comprehensive security policy covering all aspects of contracting, contract management, and the internal operations of the corporation. DCC has established a security management organization and has appointed corporate, regional, and site security officers. All of these officers have received security training, and all remaining Defence Construction employees will receive security awareness training within the next few weeks.
Threat and risk assessments for all DCC offices will be carried out by an independent agency in mid-June. These assessments address the physical security of offices.
In short, Defence Construction has made concerted efforts since the Auditor General tabled her report. I'm in a position to say that Defence Construction is managing the security requirements identified by DND in accordance with sound risk management practice and in compliance with the government security policy.
I'm of course prepared to answer any questions the committee may have.