In an October 22 2003 speech the Minister of National Defence at the time, the Honourable John McCallum stated about Strategic Airlift: "Over the past six fiscal years, Canada has spent approximately $107 million on strategic airlift, an average of $18 million per year. This is but a mere fraction of the annual interest on the cost of our own strategic airlift – let alone the capital cost... " To avoid paying 18 million a year to charter Strategic Airlift, part of which went to US Air Force C-17s and C-5s by the way, we spent 3.4 billion dollars on Boeing C-17s, plus the fuel, the crew and the other expenses which are not included in the 3.4 billion dollars but which were included in the 18 million Minister McCallum mentioned. Although it is true that now we are spending much more than 18 million dollars a year on airlift because of Afghanistan, but once that is over in 1, 2 or 3 years, we would have gone back to spending under 20 million a year on airlift had we not invested in these aircraft. However, with 4 CF C-17s at Trenton, our cost will more likely be 250 million a year once all is counted (acquisition, interests, contracts, fuel, crews etc). If you think this was a good way to spend tax dollars and military procurement money, fine with me but tell the paying public the truth, not any BS about saving money thanks to C-17s.