Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I believe that Canadians who are watching this, who are seeing the proceedings on this very troubling scenario, are experiencing partly grief and sadness but also anger, as I am, at the extreme lack of oversight that it seems was given to this project.
From the very beginning, there was a lack of a governance system. We see fingers pointed across the board between the Public Health Agency of Canada and CBSA. In addition to that, we see red flags being raised by Public Services and Procurement Canada. All of this is to say that, at the end of it, we still see a loss of value for Canadian taxpayers, which is an immense failure and an immense disappointment for me and for Canadians everywhere. Especially at a time when costs are soaring and things are expensive, it hits doubly hard for Canadians to know that our public service, in particular the procurement service, an organization meant to protect Canadians and meant to ensure value for money, wasn't there when we needed it most. I think this is the greatest level of failure on which Canadians across the country, I'm certain, will find unity.
However, it's a situation that I think is, in some cases, predictable as well. We know, as has been mentioned many times, not just in this committee but also in previous committees, that when we don't actually invest in 21st century solutions that are required for IT specialists and procurement within the government, that vulnerability exists. That predominant vulnerability continues to exist. Whether with the Phoenix pay system in the previous government or with GC Strategies now, the vulnerability is the same. The government does not have the ability to secure the kind of IT specialists who are required in the country, to ensure good work and to ensure that value for money is met.
To me, this vulnerability is critical. It is a systemic condition of this ongoing tragedy, which I want to be able to explore and actually fix. I don't want to see this continue to happen. We need to become more competitive when it comes to securing IT specialists within the government. We actually have retention strategies, such as the ones the Public Service Alliance of Canada has often talked about. We have the important ability to secure that talent, to retain that talent and to execute that talent in a way that actually provides value for money at the rate that's discussed in this report.
In the time I have remaining, Mr. Mills, do you have any final comment on your actions to ensure that this problem, this incredibly difficult and generational systemic problem, will be fixed?
Go ahead, please.