Public Accounts committee  What we told the Canadian public was exactly what the government has told the Canadian public—

Public Accounts committee  I believe it is.

Public Accounts committee  One is acquisition sustainment, which is the way we have reported on each of our acquisitions over the last four major airframe assets. The other one includes operating costs, which we haven't reported on publicly because it's included in the base budget of the Department of National Defence.

Public Accounts committee  Yes.

Public Accounts committee  Was what reported publicly?

Public Accounts committee  No. In June 2010 we reported the right-hand column. The left-hand column was for decision-making.

Public Accounts committee  There was one book. The column on the left-hand side went to cabinet for decision-making purposes. The government decided to communicate exactly the same way they have communicated since 2004 on the acquisition of major airframe assets—acquisition costs and sustainment costs. We were not seeking incremental funding from cabinet at the time for operating costs, nor do we expect to seek incremental funding for operating costs.

Public Accounts committee  The CFO may want to comment on this. Just to be clear, the numbers we used, very clearly, Mr. Chairman, were the $9 billion acquisition envelope, $5.7 billion for sustainment for 20 years, and operating cost estimates of $10 billion within our base budget for a 20-year period.

Public Accounts committee  Again, to be clear, I believe the report the member is referring to is November 2010, not June 2010—

Public Accounts committee  —which came some time after we did our estimates. As I said, we accepted the Auditor General's recommendation on producing appropriate life-cycle costs 60 days after we receive our information from the United States. I don't have an answer to the question about if we went back and tried to apply the methodology—

Public Accounts committee  I guess I just need some clarification, Mr. Chairman.

Public Accounts committee  Yes, I actually—

Public Accounts committee  Okay. In November 2010 we provided a management action plan to respond to the recommendation of the Auditor General's report. We have been working, in a very clear and deliberate manner, on developing the methodologies for life-cycle costing in response to that report. On the question of whether we have provided alternative estimates since that time, I'd have to go back and look at the record.

Public Accounts committee  As an estimate, it's the best estimate we have right now, yes.

Public Accounts committee  No. What I said was that for decision purposes we informed cabinet and the decision-makers that we thought the operating costs of the F-35 would be in a zone similar to those of the F-18 fleet. I believe that's what I said.