Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Auditor General, for presenting here today and for providing your message in the report.
I've already been on the record saying that I thought this message was incredibly strong. I think it sets a tone for all departments within the Government of Canada that we need to move, as you said, to a results and outcomes or target-focused culture, one that doesn't yet exist. There are things that exist in that place. You outlined that the amount of money spent seems to be measurable, or how good the press conference or Twitter ad or Facebook message is that comes out of it from whatever minister. I must say that you weren't just talking about a single government; this is a culture that has perhaps been pervasive over a number of years.
However, I have to register my serious concerns with the comments that were just brought by my colleague Rémi Massé when he says it's a perfect storm. When you say it's a perfect storm and it's just a bunch of things that happened, that reduces our ability to find accountability. It says that everything that could go wrong, went wrong, so better luck next time. I do not believe that's what Canadians are looking for. More important than that, I don't believe that the Canadian public servants, who were impacted so terribly before and after Christmas by this, feel that way about it.
The other thing I want to take exception to is the comments—and it was in translation, but I think this is pretty easy—“I know that they were probably...”. I don't think you can say “I know” and that “they were probably” in the same sentence to define what did or didn't happen in relation to either requests for funding to and from the minister six years ago. It's either “probably” or “I know”. You can't have both in the same sentence.
Therefore, it's really important that we stick directly to the facts. Here's a fact. A report had been commissioned earlier by, I believe—and if you can confirm this, Auditor General—Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board. That report was finally given to the Treasury Board two weeks in advance of Phoenix going live. Is that correct?