Mr. Chairman, on June 7, 2001 the Prime Minister confirmed the existence of a cabinet committee responsible for overseeing the process to replace our Sea King helicopters. The Prime Minister further confirmed that the former Deputy Prime Minister was the chair of that committee. Can the minister inform us tonight who is the chair of the committee at this time and what are their responsibilities?
Can the minister tell us if he has been briefed on the maritime helicopter replacement program? More specifically, has he received a briefing on the costs and benefits of that contract having been split in two?
Also, the former Minister of National Defence and the minister's predecessor at public works and government services both indicated that the maritime helicopter program has been marred by delays. Could the minister now tell us the cause and nature of those delays and provide us tonight with an updated departmental timeline for the completion of the tendering process through to the delivery of the finished helicopters?