Thank you, Chair.
My first intervention was on the amendment. You clarified that. Frankly, we have had ministers on an exceptional basis at this committee.
I'm always concerned about precedent for future public accounts. What we do here matters. We should not let deputy ministers off the hook—definitely not—because we're really talking about a problem in the civil service. I'm confident it's just a few bad apples, or insufficient processes and a lack of.... As the Auditor General pointed out, yes, it was an emergency situation, but that doesn't mean the rules are thrown out the window.
I know we're going to get to the witness motion, as originally intended. I want to hear from our NDP colleague, but I have no problem with hearing from any and all on this issue.