Mr. Chairman, first let me say that I appreciate the member's comment about Suffield. I might add that Suffield will take on an increased importance in the issue of chemical and biological threats. It will be the centre for research and development and co-ordination of that effort in Canada. There will be added importance given to the operations of defence research and development out of Suffield.
With respect to the Challengers, that is a government decision and I am part of the government. The Challengers are the responsibility of the Department of National Defence. The purchase was made as an upgrade to the fleet to replace two of the existing Challengers. That is being done to have Challengers with expanded fuel capacity and range of the aircraft. The approval by the government was given on March 24. The receipt of the aircraft was officially on March 28.