Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is quite right. The principle of negotiation is that one does not try to negotiate after the deal is signed.
When I look across I see the Minister of International Trade who I worked with closely when he was minister of industry in the previous government which recognized the importance of defence procurement as part of a long term industrial strategy. At that time we were fighting to ensure that direct industrial benefits, not just indirect industrial benefits, would play a larger role in our defence procurement, and furthermore, that the research and development and intellectual property side of it would be more prominent than it is in this deal.
The fact is that these C-17 aircraft will be serviced exclusively by the original equipment manufacturer, Boeing. In the past, we always fought to ensure that Canadian companies and contractors would supply the in-service support. That decision and that approach helped build an internationally recognized global expertise sector here in Canada.
The present government has reversed that decision and has taken a laissez-faire approach that is hurting Canada's aerospace industry.