Madam Speaker, the hon. minister attended with me at the international air show representing western economic diversification. It was a very positive event for Canada and Canadians.
There is no doubt that Canadian companies are competing and winning contracts not only on the defence side of things but on the civilian aerospace and space side as well. We can be proud of our Canadian companies.
Our participation in this project is welcomed by Canadian industry. The hon. member mentioned Pratt & Whitney. It is a great producer of the jet engines which will fire up this particular aircraft and be part of its propulsion. That is true for many other components. Indeed, a lot of the components for this aircraft are leading-edge components that involve composite materials which are lighter but safer. This is a high-performance machine.
The result already has been good for Canadian companies and they expect that to continue. They are already winning contracts based on the mandate. That mandate would not exist if we did not order the aircraft. There is no question there is a better opportunity to compete for these contracts by actually ordering the plane.