Public Accounts committee  Mr. Green, you know very well that this kind of work, those kinds of discussions and that advice to ministers and to an elected government.... The way our system works is that to keep that advice robust and open, those are cabinet confidences. I think you understand very well—

Public Accounts committee  I don't think I would say that we share that view. The wage subsidy program was designed initially and then, as I mentioned a moment ago, adapted following consultation to make it very broadly based, very simple and able to be put very rapidly in place. It has, as I mentioned, supported the continuing employment relationship of at least more than five million Canadians.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Thanks to the committee for its invitation. I am here today alongside my colleagues Andrew Marsland, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Tax Policy, and Maude Lavoie, Director General, Business Income Tax at Finance Canada. As you know, the Department of Finance remains focused on supporting Canadians and Canadian businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public Accounts committee  Excuse me, Madam Chair—

Public Accounts committee  Madam Chair, it's Michael Sabia from the Department of Finance—

Public Accounts committee  I think your office was informed that, given the demands of the budget on Monday, I had an hour and was very happy to spend that time with you. At this point, I need to présenter mes excuses and get back to some of the budget work I've been doing. I hope you will understand. I do very much appreciate your understanding and the understanding of the committee.

Public Accounts committee  Madam Chair, I apologize. For reasons that I can't explain, we've been trying for some time to connect to the committee's activities this morning. Obviously, we're having technical difficulties. In fact, my current connection is through a cell phone. I'm far from an expert and I can't explain why we're having these technical difficulties.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you. I'd like to ask all the committee members to please accept the apologies of the Department of Finance. We're sorry. Madam Chair, I'm pleased that the Auditor General has highlighted the Department of Finance's role in conducting a number of analyses to support both the initial design and subsequent adjustments of the CERB over time.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the invitation to participate in today's meeting with Graham Flack, Bob Hamilton and, of course, Michelle Kovacevic, my colleague at the Department of Finance. Let me begin by welcoming the Auditor General's report. As Ms. Hogan noted in her report, the Canada emergency response benefit was rolled out in a matter of weeks and adjusted in real time to respond to a sudden and unpredictable crisis.

Public Accounts committee  No, not at all. I did not say that.

Public Accounts committee  No, Mr. Blanchette-Joncas, I never said that.

Public Accounts committee  I have made it clear to you that, throughout my career, I have respected the origins and the past of all the organizations in which I have worked. I do the same in the Department of Finance. The world keeps turning, so it is quite reasonable to make some adjustments to better streamline the activities of the Department of Finance.

Public Accounts committee  It's not the same as—

Public Accounts committee  I didn't mean a shift, I meant a slight adjustment. Maybe it's marginal. I don't know; I just arrived at the department. We might be able to share with you other aspects of our activities and be more transparent, while still honouring our core activities, which is to provide advice to the government.

Public Accounts committee  It's very important. If we've learned one thing in this pandemic, it's that digitization and digital access is not a “nice to have” anymore; it's an absolute fundamental. I'd go further than that. In terms of the future economic growth of the country, not just digital access in the sense of broadband connectivity but digitization of businesses, the adoption of digital technology across small and medium businesses is absolutely fundamental.