Thank you.
At point 4.28 of his report, on page 8 of the English version, the Auditor General raised something important. The paragraph reads as follows:
We found that the Department drafted strategic approaches to oral health in 2010 and 2015, but did not finalize them. The Department committed to the implementation of an oral health strategy and action plan in 2015 in its Report on Plans and Priorities. Department officials developed regional plans for oral health service delivery. They also continued to discuss a strategic approach to oral health, and in 2016, the Department hired a contractor to develop one.
Obviously, it's the last sentence that is important. I'd like your comments on this. The sentence is:
At the time of our audit, the Department had not finalized a strategic approach.
I would like you to explain to us why, at the time of the report, this strategy hadn't yet been developed and implemented. I know that officials from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada are very qualified and engaged, and I know you are, too. In fact, I want to recognize the officials from your department because I know a lot of work has been done to prepare you for this testimony.
Please explain why there was no concrete strategy at the time to address these pressing needs and issues.