Industry committee  Let me finish. There are essentially a number of investments we're currently engaged in. There are a number of companies that we're supporting across that range of 200 companies, which I was suggesting to you at the beginning form part of the Canadian industry, that are breaking new ground constantly.

Industry committee  Yes.

Industry committee  I think the question of whether or not MDA would have gone forward in a different set of circumstances is one that you should be asking MDA, and I know they're going to be here—

Industry committee  And I'm responding to you that I don't believe the Canadian Space Agency is failing. Indeed, if you look at the investments that have been made and announced by the federal government—for instance, they're moving beyond RADARSAT-2 to the next constellation of earth observation satellites—that's a demonstration of the government's commitment to—

Industry committee  Our responsibility as a Canadian agency is to deliver on those projects that the government decides are the ones that will make sense both from an economic perspective and from a number of other policy perspectives. The decision by the government to go beyond RADARSAT-2 to the next generation of satellites is, in my view, a forward-looking decision that will mean a significant investment beyond the base budget of the Canadian Space Agency to space activities.

Industry committee  As I'm sure members of the committee will understand, any of these projects are significant in their nature, are long term, and go through various phases. We are exactly, in our minds, where we thought we should be with regard to the constellation. We have done phase zero, which is identifying the concepts.

Industry committee  Again, Ms. Nash, as I answered in response to questions from your colleagues, it's extremely speculative to comment on a transaction that has yet--

Industry committee  The contracts we have currently with MDA do fit entirely within the mandate of the Canadian Space Agency. I would assure you that in the future any contracts would also have to be consistent with the mandate of the Canadian Space Agency.

Industry committee  No.

Industry committee  First of all, I'd like you to believe me, if you could, that the Canadian Space Agency is not only operating by looking in the rear-view mirror, but indeed, given that we are talking about space, we are also somewhat visionary. We are looking at the achievements we can garner from space in order to help advance the social and economic goals of the government.

Industry committee  Thank you very much for your question. When we at the Canadian Space Agency look to the future, we do not see a bunch of dark clouds on the horizon. We look back at what the Canadian Space Agency has been able to achieve over the last years. We look forward to things in the future--some of which you mentioned--and continued successful ventures by the agency.

Industry committee  Thank you for that question. I'll ask my colleague, Mr. Brûlé, to also contribute to the answer. First, the government did not transfer anything. The government of the day took a decision on a new policy direction for earth observation. I wasn't in their heads and can't go back into their heads at the time, but the decision was based on the experience Canada had with satellite communications.

Industry committee  I can confirm that an agreement has been signed between the Canadian Space Agency and MDA that governs all phases of the RADARSAT-2 project, including construction and orbit insertion. This means that once the satellite is operational, in other words, once the requisite technical standards, amongst others, have been attained, the provisions of our contract with MDA will ensure that the Government of Canada gets what it is due under the terms of the agreement.

Industry committee  As I said in answer to Mr. Brison's question, the deal has not yet been finalized. In order for both the deal and the licence transfer to comply with the Remote Sensing Space Systems Act, they still have to be approved by a number of people, including the Minister of Industry. As the President of the Canadian Space Agency, I have to ensure that the undertakings given to the Canadian government in the contract between the Canadian Space Agency and MDA are met.

Industry committee  I have had the opportunity to read the testimony provided by those who have appeared before the committee to discuss this matter. Allow me to set the record straight on some points. As you said, we are here to help ensure that you are as well-informed as possible so that you can do your job and so that the government can do what it has to do.