Government Operations committee  I unfortunately don't know what has motivated the decisions they've made in the past. I do know that I will continue to ensure that we have adequate funding in the short term. In the long term, we'll completely push for this independent mechanism that I think will allow us to have more predictable and stable funding.

Government Operations committee  Any comment I might have might be personal at this point and wouldn't be based on much factual evidence, so it goes against the grain of who I am, in that I would prefer to reserve comment until I have been able to look at the government's response and preparedness for this. I believe that as Auditor General of Canada, you have to make sure your findings are fact-based and independent, so at this time I could not comment on that.

Government Operations committee  The motion passed by the House of Commons calls for us to look at all the measures taken by the government, whether they involve money injected into the market or contracts awarded. This is related to health and safety. There are also the specific measures taken by the government.

Government Operations committee  When it comes to COVID-19, we're all wondering where to start. There's an incredible number of topics and aspects that we could look at. It's really a matter of establishing the criteria and the priorities to determine where we can have a slightly more immediate impact, so that it will be easier to make changes in the event of a second wave of COVID-19.

Government Operations committee  It isn't part of our mandate to comment on decisions made by the government or on a policy implemented by the government. Obviously, we'll look at whether the objective of a program such as a benefit had the expected effect. The program may lead to a shortcoming. However, when we start auditing a program, our goal is to identify the objective of the program and to see whether that objective is being achieved effectively and efficiently.

Government Operations committee  Any time we approach an audit, obviously we look at the risk that fraud may have occurred or that there's a risk that fraud could occur in a program, and that will obviously cause us to either scrutinize a program differently or in more depth. As you mentioned, those two programs are very significant.

Government Operations committee  Short and sweet, if we do look at that program, the answer is yes.

Government Operations committee  Being able to put a number to it is something that I am not able to do right now. We had a budget request that was submitted in the past that was looking for funding. I have begun preliminarily to look at that so that we can see whether we could update it, whether it needs updating and what adequate funding might be going forward.

Government Operations committee  Again, any number I might give you would probably be a shot in the dark. I think when we talk about the new reality that we're going through, it impacts the funding in two ways. I see an increase, given the fact that we do anticipate certain delays and difficulties in connecting with the departments that we audit and for individuals to gain access to the information that we might need.

Government Operations committee  We always consider aspects of sustainable development goals, and gender-based initiatives are part of them, in every audit that we do. We believe it's important to support the position of the government to focus on all of the 17 sustainable development goals. We have already modified the way we approach work.

Government Operations committee  Once my appointment is formalized and the process is complete, one of my priorities will be to continue discussions with the government to ensure that we have the funding we need to carry out our mandate. At this point in time, we need temporary funding for the next few years. We also need to find a mechanism with a longer-term goal.

Government Operations committee  The role of the Office of the Auditor General is to help support Parliament in holding the government to account. We provide an independent, objective, credible source of information in order for Parliament to be able to do that. Clearly, any measures that would increase or add to transparency and oversight and accountability are ones that our office would applaud and is part of on a daily basis.

Government Operations committee  Of course, we don't study the hiring process as part of the financial audits. Very recently, I took part in a process that I found very rigorous. I imagine that happens at all levels, in all Crown corporations.

Government Operations committee  It's not really a secret in the auditing world; all auditors are in demand. It's a constant in our industry. Yes, it's certainly difficult, but I don't think it's worse than elsewhere. It was difficult before the pandemic and I expect it is a little bit more difficult for all organizations to hire people in the current situation.

Government Operations committee  Evaluating the awarding of contracts is something we do from time to time during our performance audits. Given your interest in this topic, I could add it to the list of possible audits.