National Defence committee  Perhaps I will take that one, Mr. Chair. On pillar two, indeed, the U.S. announced last week that they're exploring things with Japan. We are actively engaged with AUKUS partners on items related to pillar two—AI, quantum, etc.—and we continue to work with pillar-two partners or AUKUS pillar-two members to look at where Canada can add value.

National Defence committee  AUKUS partners have indicated that they are working on a framework for adding other countries as partners on projects. That framework is not yet developed, but we are actively engaged in discussions.

National Defence committee  The options analysis has started. We have had a team meeting with various manufacturers of traditional conventional submarines. We will be looking at options to bring to the government for a decision. They will include conventional versus nuclear, but also the number of submarines.

Public Accounts committee  I am not the one who is offering or deciding what gets offered in terms of wages.

Public Accounts committee  I am aware, Mr. Chair, that there was a new offer put on the table this week and I was hoping that they were back at the table.

Public Accounts committee  At the end of the day, the executive of Morale and Welfare Services Non-Public Funds makes that offer.

Public Accounts committee  They are probably in touch with Treasury Board in terms of consistency, but they basically are doing their own bargaining, and Non-Public Funds is a not-for-profit entity.

Public Accounts committee  I certainly care about the service they provide and I am also concerned about some of the things that have happened on the picket line. You mentioned security. We do want to make sure that the interactions are peaceful and respect collective bargaining and the right to strike and protest.

Public Accounts committee  Yes, I am, Mr. Chair.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are a couple of points here. Non-Public Funds personnel do play a critical role in supporting our military families. They are not public servants. That bargaining process—

Public Accounts committee  Who pays them? That is Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. It's a group outside the pure National Defence family, so they're not public servants.

Public Accounts committee  I certainly am involved, because those employees do play a critical role in services to our military members, and many—

Public Accounts committee  Sure. It is led by PSPC. That data analytics piece is critical. They've been at it for four years or so. As procurement documents become digitized and submitted online as opposed to on paper, PSPC is maintaining a database through which you can do some analytics and look for cross-matches of subcontractors to see if they're in multiple contracts.

Public Accounts committee  Okay.

Public Accounts committee  It's clear that the people who did the actual work are not the two owners of GC Strategies. We checked. Furthermore, some people do not want to respond to government calls for tender. They prefer to use a company like GC Strategies to go through the process, and we cannot force them to do otherwise.