Mr. Minister, General Hillier, Mr. Deputy Minister, I welcome you.
This is an important and complicated issue. I have a few questions for you and you can answer them once I have put them.
Mr. Minister, you said that the current procurement process was too long and too complicated. You even said that the procurement process could incur 15-year delays, if I understood correctly, between concluding the deal and delivering the equipment. First I would like to know what the new timeframe for procurement is.
On the other hand, you stated that the first stage consisted in defining the requirements. I gather that there is a danger in setting requirements because it could involve targeting or identifying a supplier. How can you reassure taxpayers that they are getting their money's worth?
Moreover, you presented to us a procurement process that, in my opinion, is an emergency equipment procurement process for the Canadian Forces. Is there not some danger in setting the delivery schedule as a priority? Let us consider what is immediately available.
Finally, is this new procurement process similar to what is done in other countries or in other federal departments?