Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome again, Mr. Ferguson. We appreciate you coming back for this second session.
I'm pretty excited about the industrial benefits this whole project will obviously produce for our country. I don't think we can look at this in a myopic form.
You quite clearly pointed out, sir—or it has been pointed out this morning—that some $425 million in benefits has already been extended to Canadian companies throughout Canada. In effect, this basically could do for the aerospace industry what our shipbuilding contract is doing for the shipbuilding industry, although the shipbuilding industry has been concentrated in a few main areas and this is broadly based. It certainly will give us improved technology.
We are among the top three to five members in the world in terms of aerospace technology already, but it will certainly sharpen that ability. It will essentially catapult Canada as a leader in the aerospace industry and of course is in line with our government's objective on jobs, the economy, and long-term economic prosperity.
Mr. Ferguson, I would like to hear your comments relative to that particular opportunity.