Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, guests, for coming here today.
I have five minutes. I have a couple of questions.
My first question is for you, Mr. Cairns. I think I have met you before. I'm from Cape Breton, and in my riding we have Marine Atlantic. Marine Atlantic ferry service, as you know, goes from Cape Breton to Newfoundland. It's a federal crown corporation, and just in the last year it has purchased two super ferries from Europe. These ferries are adequate but could be better. I don't know if you are aware, but it was six years ago that the board of directors of Marine Atlantic had a meeting and a study, and they knew they needed these ships, and out of that meeting it was concluded that we could build those ships in Canada. It would take four or five years, and 90% of the content would have been Canadian—you would have had a few parts coming in from Finland or wherever. That was kind of neglected or didn't go through. The present government here kind of—I don't know what you call it—ragged the puck, used the old equipment, and then had to get these new ferries. I don't know if you are aware of the file.
As the finance committee goes forward, talking about Canadian shipbuilding, can you tell me what you think of what happened there and what laws we should have in place to make sure that doesn't happen again?