Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to the witnesses for being here, given the time it is in B.C. It's really important to just comment for a second. It's great to see the unions here. I grew up in a union house, a UMW house. My father was a coal miner for 40 years. We were raised in a union environment, a union family, and it provided us with a great deal.
I want to start off with Mr. McNeely .
During your opening remarks you talked about the importance of the national shipbuilding program, the procurement process and what that's done for Seaspan and jobs in B.C. and in the supply chain. Also in Quebec and in my home area.... It's four and a half hours away to Halifax, but the impacts are felt in Cape Breton in terms of jobs and the supply chain. When we're talking about this particular item, around BC Ferries, it's a provincial Crown corporation and provincial procurement process, but from your experience, sir, what things can perhaps the provincial government, the Crown corporation, BC Ferries, learn from the procurement process federally?
If you look at the investments that were made across the country from coast to coast, they were substantial and the impact was good-paying jobs across the board in every conceivable trade through the supply chain. I'm wondering: What did we learn federally that the provincial Crown corporation can learn, not tomorrow but today, in terms of their procurement process?
You're right. I think it was Mr. Warren who said we need to prevent this from happening from a provincial standpoint. What can we be doing to learn from the federal side?