Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses for being here. Your expertise is valuable to us.
Mr. Collins, with respect to the joint strike fighter program, the federal government is funding the design and production of the F‑35 with seven other countries. As well, a memorandum of understanding was signed in 2006. Under this memorandum, Canadian companies could bid on procurement opportunities related to the F‑35, but they couldn't include industrial offsets.
How does this memorandum affect not only the Canadian economy, but also the development of knowledge and industrial technologies in Quebec and Canada?