Thank you Mr. Chairman. I am proud to add that I am not a lawyer.
I would like to welcome my friends, especially the people from Quebec whom I like a great deal and whom I know very well.
My concerns are similar to those of everyone else. I defend taxpayers. I would even go so far as to say that I am defending your shareholders. If I were a shareholder in one of your companies, I would be concerned about the lack of contractual guarantees. I do not want to call into question your competency internationally, which I feel is extraordinary. You are the leaders. However, I know my American friends, and they are also very strong business people. I know that when things start going badly, they tend to scythe around themselves, and that may well affect companies that are not American. So Canada could become a victim. You said that to offset the lack of contractual guarantee, you wanted access to the global supply chain for the 3,000 to 5,000 platforms to be built. However, there is a risk. In fact, this is not about a contract for access, but about potential access. It's not a guarantee.
A contract is to be signed in 2012-2013. The Bloc Québécois believes that it would be preferable to call for certain contractual guarantees. The aircraft have not yet been purchased; I don't think the cheque has been sent out yet. Certain things were done by the Liberal Party of the day. In exchange for government participation, there were significant economic benefits guaranteed for the industry in Quebec and Canada. And that has been the case till now.
Don't you have the impression that there is a little time left to include certain provisions in a specific contract, to indicate that as the ones paying, we want a minimum of contractual guarantees? Under these conditions, if the fact that we are the best in the world exceeds our contractual guarantees, there won't be a problem. However, if we had a contractual guarantee and the situation were not to our liking, we could invoke it. In other words, under a future contract, the contractual guarantee could be a safety net if economic benefits or contracts granted to Canadian companies unfortunately don't materialize.
Don't you think that as part of the contract to be signed in 2012-2013, we could proceed knowing we are the best in the world and have a contractual guarantee as a safety net?