Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Ferguson, your Commentary on the 2015-16 Financial Audits drew my attention.
On page 7, under “Crown corporations have limited financial visibility”, you say the following: “Crown corporations' financial visibility is limited within the Public Accounts of Canada, yet they account for a significant portion of government activity.”
I won't read everything, but you provide two examples further down in the document:
For example, both Ridley Terminals Inc. and the Royal Canadian Mint reported in their December 2015 financial statements unusual losses in connection with certain capital assets totalling, on a combined basis, $165 million. Those losses resulted from adverse circumstances that led to a reduction in the ability of certain capital assets...
In the next paragraph, the following is stated: “These losses were significant for the Crown corporations involved: they represented one third of the net value of Ridley Terminals Inc.'s capital assets, and one quarter of the Royal Canadian Mint's.”
Once again, you say that, “they were not visible in the Public Accounts of Canada”.
What do we have to do to ensure that those losses and the agencies' relevant information are made public? Should we be concerned about this?