Minister, I thank you and Minister Fantino for being here. Congratulations to both of you on your re-election last month.
In the period before we were elected, General Hillier called procurement and support for the military “a decade of darkness”. I think you mentioned in your remarks that since 2006 we've increased the defence budget by $8 billion. I believe a large sum was spent on procurement of new materials: new weapons, new safety devices, and other procurements that support our military.
Has this equipment worked well for the Canadian Forces? Can you provide some examples of how this procurement has actually made our forces safer and helped them to do their job better?