Government Operations committee  It would look like less bureaucratic paperwork and fewer levels of check-off in terms of things going through the government system. I think that's what I was referring to. There is such a risk-averse culture, if you like, within the military procurement system in Canada that things just get progressively tied up.

Government Operations committee  It would be impossible to move forward...? I'm guessing that was the question.

Government Operations committee  Once again it comes back to a capacity issue. If you don't have a minister in charge and the staff working within that organization to support the minister on this particular file, on shipbuilding and on submarines, then somebody else is going to do it. This is probably how Irving ended up being prime.

Government Operations committee  You have me thinking about this and the national shipbuilding strategy refresh I mentioned that was released March 10 in Britain. A big element of that refresh was to look at not just naval vessels, which are what I've looked at—naval vessels and the big Coast Guard—but also the whole marine industry.

Government Operations committee  The core element of the national shipbuilding strategy is the idea that there can't be too many shipyards. It's meant to be a long-term thing with ships continuously over the years. I've looked at shipbuilding since about World War I, actually. We've had many shipyards, upwards of 40 yards running at the same time.

Government Operations committee  Really, that's a company question. Lockheed Martin is doing a very good job in keeping up in the technology changes that are.... I apologize. I think my dog's barking. As the combat systems integrator, Lockheed Martin is doing a very good job in adapting to technology needs in Canadian surface combatants, but there are other aspects within Canada that are lagging because of the lack of capacity in national defence headquarters in ADM materiel to truly drive all of this.

Government Operations committee  Yes. I apologize for that.

Government Operations committee  Thanks very much for that question. As I understand it, Germany does a very good job, but I have not studied Germany so I can't answer along that line. In terms of the U.K., Australia and Canada, the three countries I have looked at, basically nobody does a good job. Everybody has trouble.

Government Operations committee  Thanks very much for those questions. In terms of agile procurement, really we're talking about applying a business model to government procurement, which can be very difficult. Of course, in the business world things turn around very quickly. If you were to create, let's say, a shipbuilding czar in Canada in the form of the Minister of National Defence, then that person could drive the rebuild of procurement officers.

Government Operations committee  Sure. I appreciate that it's a challenge. It's a long-term process, and it needs to start now. The starting piece is appointing that one person who's in charge, who can then develop the workforce—it will obviously be over several years—to rebuild that project management capability that was decimated in the mid-1990s.

Government Operations committee  Thanks very much. I'll start by saying that I agree fully with what Mr. Shimooka and Mr. Huebert just said. Thanks very much for the opportunity to speak here today. In the past 10 years, since the government signed umbrella agreements with Irving and Seaspan to be strategic partners in building combat and non-combat vessels, as we know, the projected costs have escalated and the timelines have continually expanded.

National Defence committee  I don't think so. I think that Russia has bought into the UNCLOS process and that it would respect that decision. I don't think that would be a spark. Russia's main concern in the Arctic, I believe, is its northern sea route and the fact that it's melting much more quickly than our side of the Arctic.

National Defence committee  Yes, absolutely. I think we do need to prioritize the defence of North America. As I say, a Super Hornet would probably feed into that. I've not made up my mind either way. As I mentioned earlier, there are so many factors that you need to look at, but one of the factors you need to look at is the supply chain and how long it's going to....

National Defence committee  In terms of all air assets or in terms of fighter aircraft?

National Defence committee  In terms of fighter aircraft, I was pleased that the Trudeau government put the F-35 back in the mix for the competition. Today I'm not willing to say that the Super Hornet or F-35 is the best aircraft. I do think that the competition needs to proceed expeditiously. If the statement of requirement is already done up, then it is possible that we could have an aircraft in place within four years, and certainly by 2025, which is now the end date given on our F-18s based on their airframe.