Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you so much, Auditor General, not only for returning to the public accounts committee but for the outstanding work that you and your team continue to do for Canadians as we continue to evaluate the expenditures of this Liberal government here heading into its 11th year.
By now, all Canadians are aware of the scandal of GC Strategies. It was $64 million across 31 departments. For you yourself, this is even the second report, not the first, relative to this scandal and GC Strategies. In addition to the reports that you have completed, the procurement ombud has made appearances across committees and indicated grave concern about procurement regulation and how this is followed. This certainly circles back to the report here today.
What GC Strategies did was egregious, and no organization, entity or corporation, big or small, should ever be able to do this to Canadians and the Canadian taxpayer. However, it's evident once again from this most recent report that this government let them do it. They weren't willing to support a motion in the House of Commons that banned GC Strategies for life; they supported, rather, a paltry seven-year ban. You yourself said in your own words that the rules are clear: that no more policies are needed, that no recommendations are needed here, that the government need only follow and enforce the rules.
Why, based upon your intense evaluation, is this Liberal government incapable of following and enforcing the rules?