Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, gentlemen, and welcome to the Standing Committee on National Defence.
I travelled aboard a tactical airlifter, a Hercules, with my colleagues, Mr. Bachand and Mr. McGuire. At the time, we were told that the aircraft had reached the end of its useful life and that, in fact, it had run out of time and now needed to be replaced.
C-17s are strategic airlifters—in other words, transcontinental aircraft. You have demonstrated a need to procure this equipment. So, I'm always surprised to hear my colleagues opposite say they have not supported the purchase of these aircraft since 1993. Is the idea to ensure that our Canadian Forces remain on the ground? We used to have 793 aircraft but we now have no more than 290, that are between 30 and 60 per cent serviceable. That is pretty—