Mr. Speaker, before responding specifically to the question, I would like to simply reinforce what my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean has said concerning National Defence.
Often, the past is an indication of what the future holds. Reference is made to concerns about military spending. As you know, there was publicity over the case, a month and a half or two months ago, of an F-18 pilot based at Cold Lake using his aircraft at the taxpayers' expense to go see his fiancee in Phoenix, Arizona. Imagine, National Defence refuses to even pay for the air traffic control system, yet its pilots can fly around as they please. This one can go say hello to his fiancee at taxpayers' expense. What sheer nonsense.