I'd just like to make a couple of introductory comments. I think it's very important to take on this issue of the 70% cost increase, because it's somehow worked its way into the psyche out there. I think, depending on how you want to look at it, you can either torque this up or there's actually a very good explanation for it. I'll ask Mr. Ross to do that.
On the issue of senior officials being told certain things and stuff like that, I guess what I would like to say is that, number one, there is nowhere in the report of the Auditor General--and I take it at face value--anything to suggest that anybody misled anybody, that anybody was misinformed, that anybody lied, that anybody acted in anything other than very good faith. So I said in my opening statement that people in the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Forces, and Public Works operate with absolutely the highest of integrity and the best of intentions.
We have accepted all the recommendations of the Auditor General, which are fundamentally about improving how we do this business. I think we should be very careful about confusing methodological and empirical data challenges for the intention of misleading. I'd just like to be clear on that.
I will turn it over to Mr. Ross to talk about the 70% number.
Thank you.