Good morning, everyone. This is meeting number 12 of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
I'll just remind committee members, and those in the audience today, that we are being televised. If you could please mute your phones or other communication devices, that would be appreciated.
As well, committee members, at the close of this meeting we will take some time to go in camera for committee business. Please bear that in mind. It may be that a couple of rounds of questioning would be cut short, but there should be ample time for us to question our Auditor General today.
Today we are considering the main estimates for 2016-17: vote 1 under the Office of the Auditor General; and the report on plans and priorities for 2016-17 of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.
We have witnesses today from the Office of the Auditor General to help us with this study. We have our Auditor General, Michael Ferguson; Sylvain Ricard, assistant auditor general; Ronald Bergin, principal; and Susan Seally, principal.
I would invite Mr. Ferguson, the Auditor General of Canada, to begin, please.