Yes, thank you very much, Marcus. This is a good opportunity for me to clarify my remarks.
I went to the industry, when I first came into this job, and told them they needed to increase their production, particularly around munitions, but not just munitions. We need a significant increase in military production right across this country. Our industries are very strong and capable, but for a very long time, there was a significant underinvestment. We went to them, and they said they needed to open new production lines. They needed new supply chains. This would require two things: an investment from government, and the security and certainty that long-term contracts provide.
That's one of the reasons why we brought forward, in our new defence policy update, significant new investment in both industry and those long-term contracts. What you have suggested is exactly what we're proposing to do. At the same time, this requires that we work very carefully with industry. They have told us that, even if we make investments in their production capability.... You know, we already buy ammunition from them. We buy a lot of ammunition from them, but we need more. We're going to invest in those industries and offer them long-term contracts, but we also have an interim problem, because the Canadian Armed Forces need ammunition now, as do our Ukrainian friends.
That's one of the reasons why we entered into an agreement with the Czech Republic. We have been buying 155-millimetre ammunition for Ukraine through that Czech initiative because they're able to buy it on the market. We're funnelling money through those coalitions—as part of our NATO partnership—in order to acquire those munitions.
I am also prepared to purchase those on the international market for the Canadian Armed Forces, until the Canadian industry is capable of meeting our requirements. A number of lines of effort need to happen concurrently. We need to invest in Canadian industry. We need to work on those contracts with them. We need to build up their production. At the same time, we need the immediacy of responding, first of all, to the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. That's my first priority. A very close second priority is making sure we're able to provide Ukraine with what it needs.