UPEI adjunct professor invited to appear before House of Commons Standing Committee

Dr. Jeffrey F. Collins, an adjunct professor with the UPEI Faculty of Business, was recently invited by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Expertise to speak as an expert witness for the committee’s respective studies into Canadian air defence and the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February has brought much attention to the state of Canada’s armed forces and the importance of this country’s alliances, especially the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe,” said Dr. Collins.

Dr. Collins answered numerous questions from members of Parliament about key defence issues including the federal government’s recent decision to buy the F-35 fighter jet, the challenges of buying naval ships from foreign suppliers, and the trade-offs involved in creating a multi-decade domestic shipbuilding sector under the NSS.

The timing of the Committee’s two studies aligns with a planned defence spending increase by the federal government and a need to adopt more robust procurement plans for major pieces of equipment.

“I am proud to represent UPEI, the Faculty of Business, and the Faculty of Arts before the committee,” he said.