Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all of you who are here this morning. It's good to see you here.
Let me begin by thanking the Auditor General, first of all, for doing this report. It's an important one. As you stated, it's one that the committee has been urging your agency to do.
For me, it was a profound disappointment, when I read your report, given the work that this committee has done over the years on gender-based analysis and gender-based budgeting, to realize how far we have not come in that area.
When I listened to the two presentations, I found myself wondering if we were commenting on the same report or not, because there was such a profound discrepancy in the views of it.
I have many questions, and probably not enough time.
First, to the Auditor General, you recommend in your report that the central agencies document their challenge function. They have clearly said they won't. The minister reminded me, when she was here, that I didn't know what the cabinet process involved, and cabinet documents; you referenced it in your presentation.
Why did you make this recommendation? What evidence did you use? The challenge function: how important is it to be able to have that tool available? And how do we make it happen? Is there a way of making it happen?