National Defence committee  Anything can happen.

National Defence committee  Yes.

National Defence committee  In my experience, I don't see ministers intervening in that way. They normally rely on the CDS's advice and advice from their senior officials. So it clearly wasn't the case here with the C-17s. The government indicated that they were prepared to provide the resources. We were tr

National Defence committee  The Minister of Public Works is the minister responsible.

National Defence committee  First of all, the process is one where the assistant deputy minister of materiel at National Defence has to request it. I would send a formal letter to my counterparts in Public Works, who, as I mentioned to Monsieur Bachand, do a legal review of that. There is an evaluation of t

National Defence committee  Yes, but it is only the part that is in the Boeing global support system. The vast majority of the maintenance on the C-17s will be done in Trenton by military personnel in the squadron and at the wing. For the spare parts we will require Boeing to have skilled technicians, spare

National Defence committee  Yes, exactly.

National Defence committee  Normally, the CDS and the Deputy Minister discuss those issues.

National Defence committee  It is the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Hincke, General Ward, the deputy minister, and the commanders on the ground who state that there is an urgency--for example, I can no longer fix wings on things, they're not safe to fly, and it's affecting the ability to deliver criti

National Defence committee  It's decided in discussions with Industry Canada and Public Works about what's available on the market. If there is no doubt that a number of solutions are on the market, that is not a consideration, and there is a formal appel d'offres, or RFP. If there is doubt that a requireme

National Defence committee  It is National Defence's call whether or not to request a national security exemption under the agreement on internal trade. The assistant deputy minister at Public Works will review that, receive legal advice, and either approve it or not approve it.

National Defence committee  That is a military consideration in terms of the urgency, such as whether it's needed for operations or needed to replace a capability--i.e., our Hercules, which are rapidly dying. It's largely General Ward and General Hincke, with the vice-chief and the CDS.

National Defence committee  Yes, and the services. The three environmental chiefs contribute to that discussion.

National Defence committee  I think that preceded my tour of responsibility in this area. I can't really comment on that.

National Defence committee  The minister is responsible for defence capability, ensuring the forces have the right equipment at the right time, and he discusses these projects and these programs with the Chief of the Defence Staff and the deputy minister. It is not an arbitrary process, where that's that an