Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The former commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Mr. Yvan Blondin, said that Canada would benefit from operating a joint air force with other types of aircraft than F‑35s. There was the replacement of the CP‑140 Auroras by National Defence, which ultimately awarded the contract to Boeing, without a call for tenders and at Bombardier's expense.
I also learned recently that Saab, the manufacturer of the Gripen, had committed to building its fighter jets in Quebec. That would have created 6,000 jobs, half of them in Quebec. It would also have created the Gripen Centre in Montreal, and there would have been a transfer of intellectual property. The development of a Canadian fighter aircraft through the Gripen research centre would probably have been a source of great pride. That would have allowed us to develop a generation of aircraft adapted to our reality.
We're thinking about the possibilities regarding a sixth generation. We could have been at the heart of research development. Why was this project not pursued? We talk about interoperability, we talk about being with allies, and Sweden is a member of NATO. Why wasn't this followed up?