Public Accounts committee  The lessons learned have been ongoing, but the sophistication of the yards and the risk management and schedule management tools that go with it.... These are long-term programs, so it's not a lesson you learn overnight. This is a multi-decade program, and we will continue to lea

Public Accounts committee  In the shipbuilding industry, I don't think we can ever say there will be no delays. We've already talked about COVID. Even countries with generations of shipbuilding experience still encounter delays. These are complex projects. We've talked a bit about the surface combatant a

Public Accounts committee  The competence required and the skill sets, both from an employee perspective but also continuing to make use of outside experts to get advice, have been part of the strategy from the get-go. We will be looking to increase our resources as well, both within our department to en

Public Accounts committee  That's exactly it, Madam Chair. There is a natural tension. Obviously, due to the age of the fleets, there is pressure to get ships sooner, and we all know why that is. We also want schedules that are credible. When finding that balance in the early days, the yards and the gover

Public Accounts committee  Unless my colleagues Simon or Michael have that handy, I think we would have to go back and provide the committee with a written answer, Madam Chair.

Public Accounts committee  Again, Madam Chair, I think we'll have to take that back. However, I would underscore that, across the board, the older the ships get, the greater the increase in maintenance costs. It's quite substantial, and that's one of the reasons the strategy for the two polar icebreakers t

Public Accounts committee  Madam Chair, maybe I can help out there. I spoke—

Public Accounts committee  Madam Chair, if we're into questions of what the impact is on the budget, that's best placed to the Department of National Defence or the Canadian Coast Guard, depending on which project you're after.

Public Accounts committee  I thank the member for his question. I don't agree with the statement that no one is managing the strategy. It is true that three or four departments are playing a role in its management. At Public Services and Procurement Canada, we run the program. We're responsible for manag

Public Accounts committee  It actually depends on what we are talking about. We manage contracts and the process, and we decide whether to launch a competition or not. The decision is often made by the government, but we, at Public Services and Procurement Canada manage the process and the contracts.

Public Accounts committee  The government must make decisions to assign a budget officer—

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. I would say two things. First, we are almost certain that we do, but we have to continue to improve our tools. We have already talked about the software used to improve risk management. We are currently implementing it, but we are still not finished.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for your question. I want to point out two things. First, the Davie shipyard has done a great deal of work to support shipbuilding and the Coast Guard. Second, the Irving and Seaspan shipyards were selected after going through a competitive process 10 years ago. The

Public Accounts committee  Just to add to that, one of the best practices we are in the process of implementing is earned value management. It's a great way to integrate schedule risk as well as budget, and it's something you'll see used throughout the world. We've taken steps to start the implementation.

Public Accounts committee  Certainly. I'll start off, Madam Chair, and maybe if my colleague Mr. Kennedy wishes to add something on the workforce, he can do that. I'll be quick. When you think about the workforce, Madam Chair, you have to think about the white collar as well as the blue collar workforce.