Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank the witnesses for joining us.
I will first go to Mr. Leuprecht.
You cowrote an article in La Presse in March.
In it, you said that, for some 20 years, instead of getting involved in international policy, our Canadian governments have rather dithered and focused on rhetoric, so words spoke louder than action. You said that this kind of an approach speaks to deficiencies in Canadian defence policy and diplomacy.
You also said that,
to regain its standing in allied and multilateral institutions, Canada has to deliver on real capabilities, such as robust expeditionary capacity, ballistic missile defence, the renewal of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, and the creation of a standalone foreign intelligence agency.
I would like you to elaborate on those suggestions. I would also like you to talk to us about the fact that the Canadian government recently announced it may want to join the American missile defence shield.
Do you think that this is a good idea and that the government should do it quickly?
If so, you think it was a mistake not to have done it earlier?