Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'll start by picking up from where my Bloc Québécois colleague left off with regard to the leader of the national shipbuilding strategy. At this time, we're like headless chickens. It seems that no one is taking responsibility. Can someone tell me who is in charge?
I can see that no one wants to say anything.
Is the reason for this failure the lack of a structure and the fact that, when one department decides to move in one direction, the other department doesn't follow?
I want to talk about defence with Jody Thomas. We currently have the combat ship contract, which is huge. The parliamentary budget officer's cost estimate was $27 billion at first, and now it's about $100 billion. This contract includes different classes of vessels, including the European multi-purpose frigates, or FREMMs, and the type 26 ships. Choices must be made.
Ms. Thomas, with respect to the naval strategy, does anyone decide the direction to take? In the Department of National Defence, do you have the choice to do what you want? How does this work?