Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague is fully aware, the whole question of costs is absolutely the central issue in determining what aircraft will replace the CF-18. The process of estimating the total cost of the entire life cycle of the aircraft that will replace the CF-18 needs to carried out very carefully and very thoroughly.
That is why we cannot complete it this spring. We made a promise to Canadians here in this House that we would independently verify all costs. That cannot be done overnight. It will take a few months. Based on the advice and expertise of our public officials, we have determined that we will have a better answer in the fall.
I will be more than happy to discuss the matter further with the hon. member in a few months' time.