Mr. Speaker, as part of our seven-point plan, the Royal Canadian Air Force has conducted a rigorous examination of the ability of available fighter aircraft to carry out the missions outlined in the Canada first defence strategy. An independent panel comprised of experts, external to government I should add, ensured that the valuation of options being conducted by the RCAF was both rigorous and impartial.
Our government will be carefully reviewing a number of reports related to defence capabilities, industrial benefits, and costs to make sure we have an adequate replacement of our CF-18 fleet. Once we have reviewed all of these reports, we will make a decision and we will announce it.