I just wanted to say, first of all, thank you so much for coming before the committee. It's my first time here because I'm replacing Mr. Lee.
On the weekend, I had a chance to attend a deployment ceremony for 23 soldiers going to Afghanistan from my constituency of Brampton. They were quite excited, and as the lieutenant said, I think are looking forward to serving our nation and ensuring that the values we cherish and hold dearly are going to be upheld in Afghanistan.
In paragraph 5.48 of her report, the Auditor General recommended that both Public Works and National Defence examine some of the lessons learned in contracting, both for urgent operational requirements—which I believe Mr. Guimont touched upon—and the regular procurement process, to which they could be applied.
In its response, DND said it would have a full model up and running by March 31, which is tomorrow. I want to get a sense from the officials from National Defence and Public Works where you're at with that commitment made in the response to the Auditor General. What progress has been made?
The second question I want to raise is regarding some of the concerns that many Canadians have expressed with respect to another urgent situation that our country has faced, and that is Haiti. Have some of the lessons that have been learned, as identified by the Auditor General, been implemented by the Department of Defence in moving forward on the procurement contracts for Haiti?
Thank you.