Finance committee  I'll try to keep it even shorter. Thank you for the opportunity again. This is very much the human face that has made the decision so difficult and agonizing. When we filed in January, the decision was not made until January 13. I do have a family, with three sons. What I keep t

Finance committee  Can I clarify that, Mr. Chair, if you're interested--

Finance committee  I do want to stay brief on this. A combination of the viability of the industry and the plan was one reason, and whether this was more company-specific as opposed to an industry-specific matter. The auto industry was being viewed as an industry-specific issue, and some of the cha

Finance committee  We were expecting to have a 5% or 10% growth in the industry, and overnight it went into a 20% decline. There was a very significant shift in telecom, in the communications industry. So any plan that was presented at that point in time, including internally, could have been viewe

Finance committee  I fully agree with that. As a side note, I think the governments also believe that's the case. I am very confident to tell you that in our discussions internally, preserving R and D jobs in whatever final restructuring form there will be for Nortel is a major priority. We are hop

Finance committee  Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the request to stay and would also appreciate—and I'm not sure if that's with your approval—making some comments after the hour. I will stay; I've never shied away from the employees. It has always been the favourite part of my job to talk with employ

Finance committee  We are viewing--and this is based on very strong legal advice--that the creditors, including all current and former employees, will be in the same level of protection. If you're a pensioner, employee, bond holder, supplier, then our job is to optimize.... And just as another clar

Finance committee  We had been prepared. The strong advice was that they would not be approved. Derek.

Finance committee  I do not have the exact number, but the number is very significant.

Finance committee  Yes, it's well over $1 billion. That's correct.

Finance committee  I certainly will take a look at it. But my understanding, simply said, is that all the creditors--

Finance committee  --are on the same place, and not the back of the bus. There's no one in front. The question is whether we can make severance payments and pensions as a priority over all the others. There's certainly lots of empathy for that. I do not believe that's going to be possible.

Finance committee  That's part of the restructuring plan, which the courts would have to approve in that process. We'll be dealing with all the creditors. I do not believe there will be a priority for anyone.

Finance committee  Absolutely.

Finance committee  You are talking about a position on what part?