Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. I explained this Tuesday, when I was before the committee, that when the Auditor General came before the committee he stated, and I quoted him, that some due diligence had been applied by Public Works. I also explained that the reason we had a disagreement had to do with the fact that “did not demonstrate”, under recommendation 2.81, is an absolute, and I am comfortable with the fact that he has recognized that some due diligence has been applied.

Public Accounts committee  Yes. I'll say a few words and then I'll turn to Mr. Ring, who actually administers the acquisition program. The only point I would make is that sole source is a legitimate procurement strategy under certain conditions. Mr. Ring will explain the general approach to sole-sourcing, and specifically in this case how it applies.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. As I mentioned earlier, the secretariat at the working level will draw from the various departments, so they will be co-located. It's quite obvious to me that if people are together, instead of being separated in their respective departments, they're going to be working as a team.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. Mr. Chairman, the OAG noted that the file up to this point had characteristics of a department working in a silo. So the first point I would make is that the secretariat would adhere to the structure that I described earlier and will bring people together.

Public Accounts committee  I would like to note, Mr. Chairman, that we didn't really have a problem with the findings, the facts put forward by the OAG, so this is something that's important. There was really no recommendation directed at Public Works; it was directed at DND. I'll just mention that. The bone of contention, I guess you would say in English....

Public Accounts committee  I'll say a few words using the one-pager that I appended to my remarks, and I'll let Mr. Ring expand on this. The technical authority, in this case DND, could be another department. If it were a vaccine, it could be PHAC, Health Canada. Essentially, it comes up with the basic requirements.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the question. I would say the approach we will take in the secretariat is that we are going to focus on the tasks and priorities outlined in the seven-point action plan. We will look at the work that has been carried out for the F-35 program, and there's obviously a clear highlight on the issue of cost.

Public Accounts committee  We have had a number of interactions with the AG's office. That started pretty much at a level in the interaction where you're getting closer to the ultimate draft. That's the first point. On the second point, our position with respect to recommendation 2.81 was one where we felt that we had demonstrated “some due diligence”, as stated by the AG last week.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. I appreciate it. I feel very comfortable with the statement made by the OAG; that is, some due diligence was exercised, but it was not sufficient. I accept that. I accept it in the sense that on a going forward basis, as explained by Madame d'Auray, this has not yet reached the preliminary program approval stage.

Public Accounts committee  Yes, Mr. Chairman. The plan is very clear, the mandate is clear, and we are now framing this into our terms of reference that all deputies will sign onto. It sanctions the tier structure I described, the roles and responsibilities. Maybe Mr. Ring wants to add a few words on how the secretariat will function.

Public Accounts committee  The letter was addressed to Mr. Tom Ring, so I'll let him address the specifics of the content.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Fonberg and Mr. Chair. There are two ingredients. First is a structural set of elements, which very much mimics the approach we took for the national shipbuilding strategy. There are three levels: coordination, oversight, and consensus decision-making. The first level is a top-tier, deputy minister coordinating committee that I will chair.

Public Accounts committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair. I am François Guimont, the Deputy Minister of the Department of Public Works and Government Services Canada. I would also like to introduce Mr. Tom Ring, who is the Assistant Deputy Minister for Acquisitions in my department. Thank you for the opportunity to appear here today to explain the role of my department in the replacement of Canada's fighter jets.

Government Operations committee  That's reprofiling.

Government Operations committee  That is correct.