I want to turn to a common thread that has come up throughout the Auditor General's reports we've received at committee. It is around problems of data collection, data retention, and being able to respond or react to data. Much has been made of evidence-based policy-making, but there is no evidence-based policy-making without evidence. I bring to your attention, Mr. Shugart, some items from the report:
In paragraph 4.12 it says:
...security assessments were missing or incomplete.... Global Affairs Canada did not have the information it needed to prioritize investments....
Again, at 4.24, we have:
...had not been tracked or prioritized for action.
We see at 4.44:
...rationale behind funding decisions was not properly documented to ensure that the most urgent security needs would be met.
The report indicates throughout that there were failings to respond, or even have the information with which to make proper decisions. How was that allowed to happen?