Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To begin, I want to thank the witnesses before they leave.
As to the motion, we agree with the principle. That is not necessarily because of the $8 million at stake, but rather because we do not understand recent expenditures, including some mentioned by my colleague, Mr. Stewart, and the Governor General's expenses on the whole. In this case, the expenditure is for the renovation of a residence for an office that we consider unnecessary.
I do however have an amendment to propose in order to maintain some decorum considering the neutrality of this committee. We must not reach a conclusion before the study in question has been conducted.
This is what I propose. I will reread the motion with the proposed amendment.
That, given recent reports that the National Capital Commission (NCC) paid over $8 million to replace a barn at Rideau Hall, the committee: a) undertake a study of one meeting on this imprudent spending, especially considering the cost of living crisis Canadians are facing, and invite NCC, Treasury Board and Public Services and Procurement officials to testify on the matter; b) report its observations and recommendations to the House.