Public Accounts Committee on May 1st, 2017

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Thank you. Okay. Great.

When you do expect to have a figure?

[John Forster]

We've issued, as the government announced, a letter of request to the U.S. government through the U.S. Department of Defense, and they are providing information back to us. We would expect that by the fall. We will then proceed to do a full life-cycle costing analysis based on the information we get.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Will you provide these figures to the parliamentary budget officer when you have them?

[John Forster]

We're happy to provide—as we're required in law to provide—costing information we have to the parliamentary budget officer. At the moment, we don't have a full life-cycle cost estimate to share with him.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Should you proceed, when do you expect to take possession of the interim fleet of Super Hornets?

[John Forster]

That's part of what the process is: to determine, when Boeing would be able to provide these aircraft, would they have the capability Canada needs and at a cost that's acceptable to the Government of Canada?

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

How many aircraft are we talking about?

[John Forster]

Eighteen.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Have you done an indicative estimate for the Treasury Board?

[John Forster]

I beg your pardon?

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Has your department approached Treasury Board with an indicative estimate?

[John Forster]

Not with an indicative estimate. We've issued the letter of request to the U.S. government to get that information.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

If the U.S. government is providing you the costing information, we're not doing an internal costing inside your department?

[John Forster]

We will do the costing analysis based on the data that we get from the U.S. government and from Boeing, based on the requirements that we have for the aircraft.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

In other words, there's a company out there that's going to give you their numbers—not competitive, meaning sole-sourced. They're going to give you the numbers, the U.S. government is going to provide you with input in terms of what they see the costs are, and then you'll begin your costing based on a sole-source company providing you that number.

[John Forster]

The numbers we use will come from the U.S. government.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

You've just reversed yourself there, sir. You've said that it will come from Boeing as well.

[John Forster]

Boeing will feed their work into the U.S. government. The U.S. government will do their analysis and review of it and submit it formally to Canada.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

When would you expect to have a substantial estimate?

[John Forster]

As I said, it will depend when the U.S. government responds to our letter of request. We're expecting that in the fall.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

When would you expect that we would set up the infrastructure to handle this new fleet, meaning all of the technicians, all of the pilots, all of the recruitment necessary, and all the training necessary? Further to that question—you might expand on it for me—will all of those skills be transferable to whatever the next generation of aircraft might be, should they not be Super Hornets?

[John Forster]

We're doing the planning now. The air force is doing the planning around technicians, pilots, and infrastructure for the Super Hornets. Some of those skills will be transferable. Depending on what the winning aircraft is in the competition, there obviously will be different skills needed, depending on what the final purchase is.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Those skills may not transfer over to what the eventuality might be for the long-term needs of the Canadian air force and military, because they may be something different from those for the Super Hornet. I don't want to.... If I might—

[John Forster]

That's not quite what I said. I said that some of those skills are likely transferable. There will be some skills required, depending on which aircraft wins the competition; they will be needed. Each aircraft requires different training skills, equipment skills, and mechanics.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

You've just stated that you were ramping up the infrastructure needed for the Super Hornets.