In my experience on this committee, I found a steering committee valuable. One of the reasons, of course, is that we don't deal with just one issue. We do not deal just with defence or just the environment or just foreign affairs. We deal with all of it. We deal with the Auditor General's reports, which run the scope from A to Z. As such, it takes a fair bit of organization every time you bring in a new topic or subject, or a new process of examination.
In the six years I've been on the committee, I've found that the steering committee has been effective. As Mr. Christopherson said, depending on the complexity of the issues coming forward, sometimes it has taken 10 minutes and sometimes an hour. No decision actually can or will be made based on the numbers in the steering committee, but certainly they would be a resource by which we would be able, hopefully, to make our meetings much more efficient and much more effective when we do have them.
This will enable us to have an opportunity not only to preview all the information that is there, but also to have a chance to discuss it with our colleagues, and it will help us to come into the regular meeting a little more prepared.