Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Through you to the witnesses, the committee is doing a study on procurement for the second time in as many years, because this time people are unhappy with the companies that won the contracts or with the companies that didn't win the contracts. Allegations of political interference make for great media coverage, and in this case the charges have been unfounded.
Thirteen years ago, political interference did result in the cancellation of the EH 101 military helicopter contract, costing $500 million of scarce taxpayer dollars, only to have the same government purchase a commercial, off-the-shelf version of the same helicopter with none of the industrial spinoff benefits to the Canadian economy that the EH 101 would have provided.
The Cormorant has been experiencing some cracked rotor problems, I understand, because the commercial version is not the militarized, heavy-duty version built to withstand the demands put on aircraft in an operational military role.
How will the process we've implemented of non-interference in military procurement enhance the safety of the women and men who use this equipment?