Okay. Thank you very much.
It's not that we are not excited to have the vice-admiral back; we are thrilled to have you back to put your commentary on the official record. Welcome, Commodore Donovan, as well as Michel Vigneault.
Rather than go over some of the things we've talked about before, I'd like to use this opportunity to first thank Admiral Lloyd for the kind invitation he extended to all parliamentarians. Both Pierre Paul-Hus and I took him up on the offer to go on the submarine. While we've toured submarines in the past, we've never had the opportunity to go to sea and go under the water. It's truly an extraordinary experience for any Canadian, and it will really enrich the study we're doing right now.
Thank you also to Commodore Donovan, who in the past has been my captain for about a week on the frigate Vancouver. I understand that you've been decorated for putting up with me for an entire week.
With that, I would like to focus on the position that you're in now, which is the director general of naval force development. It is my understanding that you're considering what the navy of the future, decades ahead, will look like. My first question, since we're mentioning the great procurement that is being announced today through our Conservative national shipbuilding strategy, is whether, in your current capacity, you were consulted in the preparation of the request for proposals for the surface combatant.