Yes, absolutely. Just for modernizing our Canadian frigates, we currently have a program on both coasts that will certainly bring some very substantial investment to the Canadian shipbuilding industry.
As the minister said, our first frigate, the Halifax, was fitted out in 1990, which means that what we call our new Canadian patrol frigates are not really all that new. However, given the change in the mission, the change in operations, their equipment, whether it be radar, communications equipment or electronic equipment for electronic war, must be adapted so as to keep in step with the latest progress in electronics. Consequently, the frigates need a very substantial modernization program so that they can be, once again, able to operate not only in Canada but also overseas, as the frigates did very recently. In fact, our frigate Ville de Québec recently patrolled the shores of Somalia to protect United Nations food convoys. All those measures need to be taken so that our frigates can cooperate with ships from other nations. Operating on our own is one thing, but we must be able to work within a coalition. Consequently, the equipment must be compatible. Therefore, the equipment must be upgraded. This is what we are doing currently for the frigates.
With regard to the potential replacement of the frigates as well as the replacement of our destroyers, which are very old, the program was announced through the Canada First Defence Strategy, where the situation was clearly explained. The document states that there is a need to replace 15 surface ships, which means our Canadian frigates along with our three destroyers. The programs are currently underway for implementing a system for supplying these ships while maintaining a capacity to operate at sea. All this is being achieved in the process of modernizing the frigates.