Hello, everyone. I hope you've had a good week so far. I'm sorry that we're a minute late. I just learned a valuable lesson: Don't call a constituent back within 25 minutes of having to start a committee meeting, because you might not get to that meeting on time.
I hope all members had a pleasant few days in their constituencies.
This is meeting number five of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology.
Just as a reminder for colleagues, as well as our witnesses, that these headsets are meant to help you with your translation. If they're not plugged in, they can be wherever. However, if they're plugged in and not on your ear, we just ask that you place them on the stickers in front of you. That is done to protect the health and safety and well-being of our interpreters, who work very hard on our behalf.
Colleagues, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we very recently adopted a motion, on September 22, to talk about the study of Canada's industrial defence strategy, and this will mark our very first meeting in that regard. We had a good conversation about productivity last week.
We have a couple of officials here with us today. From the Department of Industry, Kendal Hembroff, associate assistant deputy minister, joins us by video conference. From the Department of National Defence, we have Wendy Hadwen, assistant deputy minister of policy-industry. Major-General Jeff Smyth, chief of air and space force development, from the Royal Canadian Air Force, is also joining us.
I believe, Mesdames Hadwen and Hembroff, you are each speaking on behalf of your respective departments, so we'll allocate upwards of five minutes to you each, in whichever language of your choice. Then we will begin with a line of questioning from members of Parliament around the table, starting with the Conservatives, and then rotating.
Since we have members of the armed forces here, both in uniform and civilian, I just want to take an opportunity—both on my behalf, as a member of Parliament, and, I think, on behalf of everyone around this table—to thank you very much for your service to our country.
With that, I pass the floor over to Kendal Hembroff for opening remarks.