Thanks, Chair.
To follow up what you said, I want to give my thanks and appreciation.
Colleagues will remember that in the beginning, we were dealing with the previous government's audits. We were doing great stuff, but it's a lot easier to do that when it's the former government.
I said to the government members at the time that the day would come when it would not be easy for us to do the right thing as the public accounts committee and to be non-partisan and only look at the issue of government spending and efficiencies and waste, etc. They were going to get a lot of pressure from their government not to give anyone a wedge.
What happens is—and you know it ahead of time—that the issue of voting unanimously on something that's in any way critical or not supportive of the government becomes weaponized in question period, and the parliamentarians know that. The job here is difficult. It's one that's different from any other committee, and we have to be non-partisan. When we're partisan instead of non-partisan, Canadians aren't getting the oversight that we are mandated to provide.
I want to give a special shout-out and thanks and appreciation and respect to the government members who, in spite of the politics outside this room, grew to the full parliamentary responsibility of this committee. They were fully prepared, and weeks before an election set aside their partisan membership and said that in the interests of Parliament and the work of the Auditor General and this committee, they thought this was the right thing to do and that they would deal with the politics outside. That's exactly what they did, and I have the greatest respect and admiration for them.
Anyone who wants to use that as a clip or to give their material some oomph, you're welcome to it—