Point well taken, and there were actually six budgets, one that I did twice, I have to say. I balanced the budget, and the one that I did twice was actually the one that gave us a majority government going forward.
With regard to the matter that the member has mentioned, I do apologize for using that term, but the gums were going so much and you didn't take a drink and I was just a bit concerned about you. I'm glad that you're relaxing a little bit now and allowing yourself to take a bit of a rest.
I'm not going to go on too much more here, Mr. Chair. We have already discussed the sensitivities of these contracts. It's essential that we do not breach some of the confidential aspects that enable us to compete against other jurisdictions around the world. It's also a matter of reputation for Canada, to allow us to be known as a secure partner in these endeavours.
When it comes to jobs, I'm going to allow our colleague from the NDP to elaborate upon some of the very discussions he's been having with members of the union, who only days ago were tweeting out that they appreciate and support the work that's being done and look forward to enabling that contract to take fulfillment. Then we can then elaborate more clearly on what's involved and dissertate on some of the issues that have been raised by chambers of commerce and others. They are cautious and very distressed by the engagement that was taken in OGGO and by some of the members in this committee who are trying to advocate for open and transparent aspects of the contract that then put at risk the deals as we go forward.
We all want to safeguard jobs. We all want to ensure that Canada succeeds. We all want to create innovation and investment in industry, and that's exactly what we're doing. It's unfortunate that the member opposite doesn't appreciate that, or the members of the Conservative Party, for that matter, don't seem to appreciate the necessity of us being at the forefront of these issues.
I'll stop there, Mr. Chair. I do look forward to getting a better understanding of what the union is actually saying in regard to this contract and these investments that are being made in Canada.