Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, Minister. This is your first appearance before our committee in your current position. I welcome you.
My first question is about the aircraft. As you know, in 2015, Mr. Trudeau said that buying the F‑35 was out of the question. Suddenly, on the morning of Monday, March 28, you were told that you were holding a press conference to announce that the government is moving forward on the F‑35.
Were there any discussions on this subject within cabinet before arriving at this decision or were you taken by surprise?