Thank you very much, Chair.
Ministers, you'll be very much aware that the issue of search and rescue continues to boil at a pace. We've had a number of incidents recently, and now we understand that the purchase of the fixed-wing search and rescue planes will be pushed back yet again.
We know from a 2010 internal report the dire consequences of not replacing these planes. The report noted that the Buffalo fleet: ...is facing significant problems obtaining replacement parts and the current system of machining these parts is both expensive and [time-consuming].
I suspect that if it continues, and if there's enough of a backup, those parts are not going to be produced and are not going to be ready.
Given the concerns that already exist, Ministers, about whether or not search and rescue is up to par with where Canadians want it to be right now without this particular problem, now on top of this, we're seeing a delay and the tendering now is apparently going to be pushed back to 2013.
The planes are only good until 2015-2017. In light of the other comments I've made, why should Canadians have any comfort that you two are on top of this file and that, indeed, search and rescue is going to hit the standard that Canadians demand?