Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to the committee, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being with us today.
The minister told us earlier—and it came as no big surprise—that there wasn't a national aerospace strategy in the works. While we recognize that constructive efforts have been made to support the industry's growth, we nevertheless believe that a national aerospace strategy is needed.
You certainly know that Canada recently announced sanctions in relation to titanium. The people at the aerospace companies explained that titanium is an important material, possibly even indispensable, and that finding a replacement in the very short term is quite challenging. As I understand it, titanium is used to make bolts, and it's very difficult to replace those components in the very short term. It would appear, then, that because of the sanctions Canada alone is imposing, the titanium that isn't coming here is still going elsewhere. With those sanctions, Canada is doing a good bit of damage to one of Quebec's flagship sectors, aerospace.
As the member for Mirabel, I'd like to know whether the aircraft manufacturers, namely those in Quebec, were consulted before the sanctions were imposed and whether Mr. Champagne's department was consulted beforehand.