Thank you, and my thanks to the minister and the ambassador for being here.
I was very privileged on another parliamentary committee, public safety and national security, to visit your country, looking at the state of your prisons and the issues you were dealing with. I was not totally surprised but I was pleased to learn that you had visited here, and about 60% of your programs were adopted from Canada. And we learned some things, and I think we'll be doing the same.
With respect to aircraft, Canadian Forces Base Trenton is in my riding and I have the privilege of seeing the new C-17s and taking delivery of the new Hercules. One of the things that I was told by our military folks, our air force folks, was that what we're doing when we purchase these aircraft is making sure that they are equipped in the same way that the rest of our NATO allies are equipped, because it's more cost-effective. There's nothing that aircraft manufacturers like more than when you customize your aircraft, because then they soak you when you need to get them fixed.
So that's what we intend to do, right across the board; it makes only too much sense that we would buy the same fighter aircraft. That was started by a previous government, even though they're sometimes reluctant to admit that.
Also, thank you for investing in the world's third-largest oil deposit. I know it has caused some consternation in your country, but let's face it, North Sea oil is running out and you need to make those investments. That's what made your country as affluent as it is, as we know, and that's what's keeping our country afloat—natural resources.
I want to talk about the north and your relationship with Russia. I would like you to talk a little bit about the Arctic Council and more about how we are interrelated as northern neighbours. When, let's say, some ecological or natural disaster occurs, how do you see that council cooperating?