I think there are a lot of questions about where the government is on the seven steps they announced earlier this year. There has been some moving around of those priorities. They had a terrible time trying to find a firm that was going to provide some kind of independent analysis of this.
We were very much looking forward to greater scrutiny of it at the public works committee, which I think was going to do it at the sitting after the summer break. That was squelched, and there has been very little discussion over the last few months about what's happening in the secretariat. We think there needs to be much more oversight on this, and the government needs to be clearer.
For instance, we've had ministers talk about a contract. There is no contract for the F-35.
The price estimates have swayed dramatically, and they've had to change some of those estimates.
The public just doesn't know what's happening. There was a media report recently that quoted a Lockheed Martin registered lobbyist commenting on F-18s, yet the media report didn't identify that he was a registered lobbyist for Lockheed Martin. He was just presented as an expert, and the public is confused by that. That story ran across the country. We tried to catch up and change it.
But I think greater parliamentary oversight, which would inform MPs like you, and journalists, is really required on this file.