Madam Chairman, the American model is special in that almost every member of the U.S. congress has something relating to the military in his or her riding. This acts as a way to redistribute wealth in Washington.
I have a question regarding the supply system. We know that, last year, Tibbett & Britten was awarded the initial contracts to change the supply system, but many people are concerned about this and wonder if the effectiveness will remain unaltered and, more importantly, if the number of jobs will remain the same.
It appears that, under the agreements that it has with the government, Tibbett & Britten is prepared to protect people's jobs for seven years. However, I received representations from the union. I was told that discussions are currently under way between the government and Tibbett & Britten, but that the union is kept away from these discussions.
Would it be possible to foster greater union involvement, so that people can closely follow what is going on and so as to ensure that economic spinoffs will be spread across the country, as was the case in the past?