National Defence committee  Could I comment on that, Mr. Chairman?

National Defence committee  When I was in the Department of National Defence, I continually reminded them--particularly to my military colleague--that the Department of National Defence is a department of government, and as such, while it has primary responsibility to support the armed forces, it must look

National Defence committee  Thank you for that. I'm sure Mr. Bachand is pleased to know that the Camaro will soon be back on the street again. Clearly there is quite a difference--and Mr. Coyle alluded to that in his comments--between what the American armed forces procure and how they go about procuri

National Defence committee  I acknowledge that. I've read the transcripts, and I've been watching the committee with interest. To be quite frank, I'm a little surprised at that. However, it is clear that various ministers have various responsibilities within the process. On behalf of the ministers, various

National Defence committee  Well, as I replied in the last question, my sense is there is one minister accountable for the process at DND.

National Defence committee  No, I do not agree with that statement. Here is a Treasury Board document. It was in force when I worked for National Defence, and it still applies. Unfortunately, it is in English. I would like to read that very briefly. It talks about the role of operating departments and th

National Defence committee  Mr. Bachand, thank you for not including me in the old boys club. As for your question, I think things need to be put in context. I understand Mr. Coyle's position regarding the United States, but you must understand, even if it is not up to me to tell you this, that the Governm

National Defence committee  I never participate in meetings with General Hillier. On occasion I meet with Dan Ross. I think it is normal for us to discuss the process and problems, given that I was one of his predecessors. We regularly discuss issues that occur within the department, how we dealt with the s

National Defence committee  Matter such as reductions in staff, project approvals and the procurement process. Bear in mind too that Dan Ross has not spent his entire career in procurement.

National Defence committee  Mr. Coderre, I would like to say yes, but unfortunately, the answer is no.

National Defence committee  No, it does not work like that. First of all, CFN Consultants here, in Ottawa, has a very clear ethics policy. We are very careful, not only about what we do, but also about the perception of others with respect to what we do. We are very careful about that because, naturally, o

National Defence committee  No, I don't think so. We are not recruiting these days.

National Defence committee  First of all, Mr. Coderre, no one has called me Colonel in a long time; thank you.

National Defence committee  As you mentioned, I am a senior partner at CFN Consultants here in Ottawa. We have several clients, including Canadian and foreign companies. We have over 50 clients. I don't know if you want me to name them all.

National Defence committee  I have several files. I know what you are getting at. So, to be very specific—I have nothing to hide—our clients include Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Alenia North America, Bombardier and several others.