Government Operations committee  I could respond to that, Madame Chair. The tank program was initiated urgently to replace our existing Leopard 1 tanks that we were in the process of taking out of service because the army had the view they would never need them again. Our Leopard 1s were not sustainable in term

Government Operations committee  That is a very broad question. It is obviously somewhat out of my lane, in terms of being responsible for military procurement and working with my partners in the Department of Public Works. We had a fairly clear defence policy with the previous Liberal government, and we have ha

Government Operations committee  Perhaps I should answer in the broader long-term context. When we procure a fleet of ships and the process to deliver that fleet of ships takes a decade and the fundamental policy upon which we base the requirement and engage industry is not relatively stable for a decade, that

Government Operations committee  The model is that of a team, where the Department of National Defence provides the general project management contribution, and articulates the requirements, the needs of the members of the Canadian Forces. The Department of Public Works manages and provides a service for the s

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. It's a pleasure to be here this morning to provide information to the committee and to answer your questions. The Canadian government's past approach to defence procurement was not always effective in either providing the Canadian Forces with the right eq

Public Accounts committee  My sense is that it would be very similar. Our allies—for example, the Americans, the British—pursue many thousands of contracts every year. They do a security assessment at the beginning of each one to determine which documents or pieces of information need to be protected.

Public Accounts committee  No.

National Defence committee  There is a long-standing shipbuilding policy in the country, where major navy, coast guard, and fisheries vessels are built in Canadian ports. You're absolutely right that the feast or famine thing has been extremely difficult for the maritime industries. That is a concern for In

National Defence committee  They are complex. The question of technology and integration—

National Defence committee  We would have to discuss that with the other departments—for example, Fisheries and Oceans.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  I have nothing. I'm probably in deep trouble already, after all I've said.

National Defence committee  We appreciate your interest here. I think we've had a very useful exchange on these really important matters.

National Defence committee  I wasn't aware that the Prime Minister's Office was involved in any way. I was never aware of any conflict of interest.

National Defence committee  Perhaps, but I think as we discussed earlier, there was that challenge function going on prior to the SOR being finalized. I think Colonel Burt's e-mail is referring not to Airbus A400M but to Airbus A319, our passenger Airbus that we tried to use for strategic airlift in the pas