Public Accounts committee  Based overall? I would turn to either Scott or Mr. Nicholls.

Public Accounts committee  Correct.

Public Accounts committee  It's a very good question, Mr. Chairman. Again, I would turn back to Scott as to whether there's any evidence that, because of a failure to run a security requirements checklist or to classify a project, we have incurred additional expenses as a result. Just to make sure, because security does trump here, as we say in our action plan, we have begun a review of all the 8,500 contracts the Auditor General identified in her report to understand whether there have been any breaches.

Public Accounts committee  No, I'm just saying that it could, in that eventuality, actually result in further modifications and further costs.

Public Accounts committee  May I try to clarify? The current process is build the shell. Generally, it's essentially seen to not be classified because it's a shell with some plumbing and some wiring. As the vice-chief or Colonel Day suggested, as you move into fitting up or creating classified areas within that building, those parts of the contract or those contracts become classified, require classified contractors, security-cleared contractors.

Public Accounts committee  I'll just take the afterglow from the Auditor General here. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, again, let me make sure I understand the question clearly. Maybe the Auditor General understands it more clearly than I do. These documents were unclassified. The government security policy does not require unclassified documents to be handled in any particular way.

Public Accounts committee  Yes. I'd be happy to, Mr. Chairman. Actually, I will ask the departmental security officer to speak to it. Just before I do, though, I will address the question that a previous member was asking and that the Auditor General actually answered. We are attempting to address that question of the front-end look-out to the end use of the building and the life cycle of the building.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, on the issue of U.S. confidence, the U.S. is, as I understand it, very comfortable with the state of that building and its actual use. They have sent their own teams to have a look at that building. So they are now very comfortable. The only thing I would say in response to the member's question or concern around U.S. confidence is that, as I think the relationship has shown over and over again, confidence comes from recognizing any errors we might have around these kinds of things and fixing them quickly, fixing them in a way that actually works for both parties.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, on the issue of document handling and classified documents, there is already a very clear process in place for how classified documents are to be handled, who is to have access to them, the kinds of security clearances they actually require--

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, first of all, on the issue of the review that is being done by the chief of review services--an error perhaps of omission that we did not inform the clerk, certainly not an error of commission--the timing of that review was always intended. I don't remember exactly the date the blueprints were found.

Public Accounts committee  Just as clarification, my comment was with respect to North Bay.

Public Accounts committee  I apologize. I should be clear that in this context our investigation immediately, as soon as this became apparent through the newspapers, showed no breach of any policy.

Public Accounts committee  Classified.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, I assume we're referring to North Bay, not to the Trenton blueprints.