National Defence committee  I think there's a range of options, but I do think that given the assessment of threats, not by me but by experts who I rely upon, that in the Canadian instance today just as the other 27 members of NATO and our partners in the Pacific, Australia, Korea, Japan.... These are serious countries which have chosen to take out the insurance policy.

National Defence committee  Ms. Michaud, I would just like to say that the supply and procurement situation is very difficult around the world. I have spoken with a lot of experts. Everyone tells me that it is very difficult. According to the former United States secretary of defense William Perry, the most important thing is meeting the deadline and buying things that are available to everyone.

National Defence committee  Yes, madam. Most of our purchases come from foreign manufacturers. We are part of a supply chain. It is very important for us. That is our niche. If we are buying for the future, we are going to buy from overseas. We have an industry in Canada, in Quebec, that is very important for us because it creates jobs for Canadians.

National Defence committee  Yes, in the United States, President Obama, like other presidents of the United States, has said the one issue that truly keeps them awake at night is nuclear proliferation. President Obama launched a couple of years ago in Philadelphia.... There's been meetings since in Seoul and Europe to try to contain the genie.

National Defence committee  I'm encouraged that the Geneva talks continue on, although perhaps not as fast as we'd like. I'm encouraged by some of the discussions I've held in Washington with experts on something called the Iran Project, with a lot of extremely well-informed, experienced Americans. The objective at the end of the day is to prevent Iran from acquiring the nuclear capacity to turn it into weapons.

National Defence committee  Yes sir, that's the case. Again, the six powers, including China...China is taking the lead. China does not want to see the North Koreans advance their capacity. I think everybody understands. Nobody wants that genie out of the bottle. I don't think the Russians do. I had discussions with Russian officials.

National Defence committee  I'll just say a word because I know that this is an area where Professor Braun has a certain expertise. I'll just say, ma'am, that the questions you raise are all questions that not just Canadians are dealing with, but also Americans and Europeans. They're being dealt with around the world, particularly in open societies.

National Defence committee  I think we're still in early stages. It's like after the invention of the telephone. It takes a while before you figure out what all the implications are. I do not believe we are there. I know that in the United States the Supreme Court has been looking at this issue, and courts have been looking at it, and I know that you as parliamentarians will be faced with this as well.

National Defence committee  Yes, sir, I strongly believe in non-proliferation, but I also think that we live not in the world as we wish it, but in the world as it is. Because we live in the world as it is, we have to prepare for the worst, and that would include things like ballistic missile defence. Do I wish that North Korea would develop this capacity?

National Defence committee  I would say supply chains or areas in which we have particular excellence, for example, communications and transportation. We have to be very good at those because of our geography and the kind of country we are. I use the MDA Radarsat example. These are part of the crown jewels of Canada.

National Defence committee  Sir, if you look at my remarks, I think what I said was that there is a NATO target for all members of NATO, and we are a member, and the NATO target is 2%. We have not come close to meeting that target for a number of years. I was looking at the NATO figures just this week and as you suggested, we're currently at 1%.

National Defence committee  Yes, sir.

National Defence committee  Thank you, sir. I would just reiterate, that in the United States, as you pointed out, DARPA has made huge investments and, in a sense, is probably why we got the Internet. You yourself, I think, said you worked with the RAND. That's been a big asset in the United States establishment, which has had great civilian benefits.

National Defence committee  Thank you, Chair. My comments today will address the strategic environment including the threat of cyber, the value of diplomacy, and the enduring value of our defence partnerships with the U.S.A. through NORAD and NATO; the strategic value of sea power and the importance to our economy; and why it is time to incorporate ballistic missile defence into the Canada First defence strategy.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think this has been talked about for a long time. I go back. The external aid office was part of Foreign Affairs. We did the Colombo Plan under the old external affairs department. It's not as though this wasn't a piece of it and then it was taken out. Again, we're talking about the boxes.