Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I was hoping someone would not ask Mr. Christopherson to repeat that question, so we're moving forward.
I don't want to belabour this issue, but Mr. Smith, I want to explain it to my constituents, if I can, in plain language.
Let me just back up. Due to the recession, there's an extraordinary need for expenditure of $3 billion from April to June of this year and for other spending related to stimulus. My constituents need to know, as all of us on this committee need to know, that this money will bear the same high level of scrutiny all government spending does. During the past government's spending scandal, the sponsorship scandal, we know that the money did not go through a formal process. It didn't have the scrutiny. That was the source of the problem.
So can you please explain in plain language, if you can, how this critical stimulus package will meet the highest level of public scrutiny?