I'm just going to be very observant of the chair, because I'm sure he's going to be giving me the red card quite a bit today.
Mr. Chair, concerning this audit, it's not only a concerning report, but also a damning report. It raises further issues and concerns. This is not a reflection on what you've presented, but it compounds a concern that we've been having at this committee over and over again.
At committee, we had the minister here on February 1, 2022. The minister specifically said that the information we received in a report was inaccurate, and that the data was incorrect. If I take what he said back then, and that it's hard to get data and information in this report, there is a consistency and a trend that I don't like. He went on to say that the numbers and projections were going to go down, and that he would provide updated data.
The minister's letter, which was dated in April, and the Auditor General's report in May, one month later, shows that there's a lack of information, and it's a trend I'm very concerned about.
If accurate information and data are not provided to the Auditor General, how can we as a committee do our job? How can problems related to the backlog of veterans files, data and health care concerns be fixed?
If the information is not provided accurately, then the following reports, such as the Auditor General's report, the ombud report, which we received earlier on, the PBO report and the committee's report, which all rely on data.... How can we make an accurate assessment and improve the wait times that veterans are experiencing to get their files processed more quickly?
In the past, when we had the ombud report, there was an attempt to discuss the report and say there was a need to change the information. The auditor is giving us information and saying the data is not accurate.
I'm grateful for your report, because it highlights a concern and a trend that has been going on for quite some time. Thank you very much for your information.
How do you think it would be best for you to get more information, or more accurate information, in the future?