Mr. Speaker, he was a training officer for the Victoria, too.
The DND Portage la Prairie flight contract project, which has a potential value of $1 billion, has been tied up in the bidding process for 18 months. During that time the two bidders, Bombardier and Allied Wings, have had to extend their bid price three times. It has been reported that the contract award recommendation has been approved and the budget financing is in place, yet no public announcement has been made.
Given that the current Bombardier contract terminates soon, why is there a delay in awarding the new contract?