This is not the first time I have been told that my reasoning is not optimal. Obviously, when I come to conclusions that some people don't like, I'm told things like that. I have two children, so I've already been told that I was mean when I prevented them from staying up too late. That's the kind of thing that doesn't surprise me.
That said, the committee had asked me to compare only the financial aspects of the two types of vessels. I was not asked to compare the capabilities of the different types of ships, the Asterix and Obelix on the one hand, and the joint support ships on the other. I was only asked to compare costs and that's what my office and I did.
The costs are very different for the two types of vessels. Do their different capabilities and characteristics totally explain this difference in costs? It is quite possible. However, the analysis I was asked to do did not take into account the different capabilities and characteristics of the vessels.
It is possible that one vessel is an old Lada and the other a terrific Cadillac, just as it is possible that these two types of vessels are quite comparable. I don't have the expertise to compare the characteristics of the different types of vessels. Those who can are the people in the Royal Canadian Navy.