Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister Blair, Major-General and Deputy Minister for being here. To you and the rest of your team, thank you for being here again at committee.
Minister, Conservatives are known for calling Atlantic Canada a “culture of defeat”, but let me tell you—I know you know this—and let me tell everybody in this committee that Atlantic Canada is a culture of innovation. For example, my riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour is home to an established and growing defence research and development industry.
Minister, bringing NATO's defence innovation accelerator for the North Atlantic, which we know as DIANA, to our municipality will be of real benefit to its growth. I also know that these incredible researchers and innovators will be of real benefit to NATO as well. I see that the supplementary estimates include $30.1 million over four years, starting in 2023-24, and $10 million in ongoing funding for DIANA's establishment in our municipality.
I understand that the Conservatives are going to vote against this, which is a bit of a shock, but can you give us a better idea of the timeline for establishing DIANA? Could you also speak a little bit more about how this supports NATO's efforts as well?