Robert Pare

Good morning. So first of all, I would like to congratulate you for your punctuality. Not all groups are so well behaved as you are. On behalf of the Board of Directors of National Bank of Canada, I would like to welcome everyone joining us today for our annual meeting, whether in person or virtually. To facilitate your participation, the proceedings are being concurrently translated into English and French, both on the webcast and on the phone. You may communicate with us in English or in French.

We are very proud to be holding our annual meeting at National Bank Place for the first time. Our new headquarters have become an iconic landmark at the heart of Montreal City Center, embodying the bank's ambition, spirit of innovation and commitment to sustainable development. Before we continue the meeting, I invite you to watch the following video.

[Presentation]

Robert Pare

[Interpreted]

As you know, we have been operating in a challenging geopolitical and macroeconomic environment for some time now. Despite this, the bank has delivered strong financial performance and growth across all of its business segments -- fully assumes its responsibilities in setting the bank's strategic direction and ensuring effective oversight. It upholds rigorous governance and supports the management team so that the bank can continue to provide high-quality service to its clients and deliver competitive returns to shareholders.

One year after its completion, we are proud of the outstanding success of the acquisition of CWB. This transaction, the largest in the bank's history, demonstrate everything we can accomplish together. A stronger organization, enhance value