I'd like to call the meeting to order and welcome everyone here. Bienvenue à tous.
This meeting, colleagues, visitors, and witnesses, has been called pursuant to the Standing Orders to deal with chapter 5, “Passport Services--Passport Canada”, of the 2009 Status Report of the Auditor General of Canada.
The committee is very pleased to have with us today the auditor herself, Sheila Fraser. She's accompanied by Wendy Loschiuk, assistant auditor, and John Reed, principal.
From the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, we have the deputy minister and accounting officer, Len Edwards.
From Passport Canada, we have Christine Desloges, the chief executive officer; Jody Thomas, chief operating officer; and Gary McDonald, director general.
Again I want to extend to everyone a very warm welcome, but before I call upon the Auditor General for her opening remarks, I just want to introduce to the committee Mr. Brandon Jarrett, who's from the Australian National Audit Office. He's in Canada to do the preliminary scoping work for the peer review audit, which will be conducted over the next 12 months on our Office of the Auditor General.
Mr. Jarrett, welcome to the committee. Welcome to Canada.
We're now going to hear from Ms. Fraser, then from Mr. Edwards if he has any opening comments, and then Madam Desloges.
Ms. Fraser.