Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.
Yes, the secretariat does exist, and it will continue to exist. There is a role that is defined for the entire life of NSPS. The reason for that is that, as we've discussed, we're bringing together multiple different projects and establishing strategic supplier relationships and arrangements with two suppliers, Vancouver Shipyards and Irving Shipbuilding.
In the case of Irving, all of the work that's being done there, currently or planned, is for National Defence. There is probably what I would call a simpler relationship, as it were.
In the case of Vancouver Shipyards, there are projects for both National Defence and the coast guard. The secretariat, as Rear-Admiral Finn mentioned, is a way of ensuring that we have a coordinated dialogue amongst the various shipbuilding projects and the shipyard.
We did a study following the selection process to look at what the long-term role of the secretariat should be. It was agreed that we should have a coordinating or management role through the life of the NSPS process. And it comes back to the issue that it's not the only time that we have had a strategic source of supply for procurement of a particular commodity, but this one is very unique because multiple departments are involved. We've looked at putting unique governance processes in place to make sure that we keep on track and that we have effectively dealt with the needs of the various clients who are involved, and have a strong relationship with the shipyard.