Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Minister, you spoke a few times about investments that will be made soon. However, in September 2023, your government announced fairly significant budget cuts. At the time, you said that it wouldn't necessarily have any impact on operational capabilities, but the Chief of the Defence Staff said that it would be impossible to reduce the defence budget by nearly $1 billion without there being consequences. In addition, you announced investments as part of your new policy.
So there seems to be conflicting information, which observers have noted, starting with the Chief of the Defence Staff himself. He said he was having trouble grappling the department's contradictory orders. Given this confusion, one might think the department lacks vision.
Can you reassure the forces and tell them clearly what the situation is? Are we heading toward budget cuts for the next two years, or are we making more investments for the future?