Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you very much to the Auditor General and witnesses for being here this morning.
The report we're studying this morning, for me, is really the essence of what we're doing here at the public accounts committee. My colleagues have referred to that already. Our first order of business is actually not so much the money, although we'll get to that, but the issue of public security and safety and how well our public services are meeting those requirements for Canadians. Of course, this is exactly where we are this morning, addressing that issue.
That was really my first concern, but once in a while the money actually does matter.
I noted, Mr. Ferguson—we have spoken before—that it's highly unusual for the Auditor General to point out when there is a lack of funding, and you do it in a very tactful way. I look at the quote, “In 2016, Transport Canada asked all 200 airports eligible for program funding to identify their safety-related projects over the next three years,” and look at the numbers, “Of the 105 eligible remote northern airports, 41 responded with an estimated total of $101 million for safety-related projects, including the rehabilitation of runways and lighting systems." Then you go on to say that the OAG, “found that the available funding would not be sufficient to meet the needs identified by remote northern airports, as the demand significantly exceeds the program’s annual funding of $38 million.” There it is spelled out for us.
I always look at the time period of the audit as well. I think that's important. Here in public accounts, we're looking at what has already happened and where we can learn some lessons. We know this is for the period from 2013 to 2016. There have been some changes since then, but I still want to focus on that period. It's not to lay blame anywhere but to try to pick up where the lessons are. I think there's something in there. How could these safety-related projects go undetected?
I would like to ask the Auditor General to give his view on the role of the owner-operators, because his office would have conducted interviews. I'd like him to give us some feedback on what they were saying. Then I'd like to have a comment from Transport Canada.