Thank you very much, Mr. Christopherson.
I think that's fair. I think all of us recognize that—but there's a difference when you're in government. The non-partisanship of this committee is what gives the power behind it. We are not driven by partisanship and we've worked hard. I commend government and both opposition parties.
To discuss the budgetary ask of the OAG and the effect the lack of funding is having on its office, we welcome this morning from the Office of the Auditor General, Mr. Sylvain Ricard, interim auditor general of Canada; Mr. Andrew Hayes, deputy auditor general; and Ms. Casey Thomas, assistant auditor general.
From the Department of Finance we have Mr. Nicholas Leswick, assistant deputy minister, economic and fiscal policy branch. My understanding is that the deputy minister is with the minister in Vancouver today, so we welcome you, Mr. Leswick.
Without further ado, we'll turn over the floor to our interim auditor general of Canada, Mr. Sylvain Ricard.