After I adjourn, I would ask that the members of the steering committee remain for a very short meeting just to talk about the future schedule.
Before I conclude, there are a couple of housekeeping points I will remind members of.
Most of the witnesses on this committee are deputy ministers or other very experienced public officials. I urge members to keep their questions concise and to the point. I will be very vigilant in demanding the same from the witnesses. There's nothing worse than having long, rambling preambles and then letting the witness go on. Of course, this seven minutes that we agreed to can be eaten up in one question and one answer. As any person who has practised law will tell you, it's 90% preparation and 10% execution. So again, I'd urge members to keep their questions concise and precise, and I as chair will certainly try to make sure that the witnesses answer succinctly and to the point.
I plan to start on time. Once I have my five other members, the gavel comes down. We start at 3:30, and I'd ask everyone to be here on time. To be fair I will, as best as possible, be adhering strictly to the time limits. I don't cut people off, but I will have a red flag to give you a one-minute warning. I take no joy in that, because a lot of times I see the examiner almost getting to the point and then the time is up, but again, I have to enforce the time limits.
Also I want to remind members that we don't deal with policy issues, such as whether we should have gun control or shouldn't have gun control. Those questions will be ruled out of order. Those issues are really not at all the domain of this committee. Of course, the auditor will not answer any policy questions, so you'd be wasting your time in the first place. I just want to remind you of that.
Having made these comments, colleagues, I think it will be a rewarding committee, and it will be enriching. I think if we all work together as a team, we will have a very productive and effective session.
Thank you very much.
Are there any comments before we adjourn?
The meeting is adjourned.