Michael Miltenberger

When a contract is let, there is a process that is initiated from the time depending on what kind of a contract it is, if it’s an FRP, if it’s a tender, if it’s a different kind of contract, there’s a process. There are checks and balance all along the way within the various departments to make sure this is being done by the numbers. The Members stand up in the House and raise issues about specific contracts with veiled and not thinly veiled allegations that there is some type of wrongdoing. We’ve got all the documents here. We’ve laid it all out. Issues in the Legislature are different from...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Member pointed out, there’s a history to this project with some considerable trials and tribulations. Our responsibility as a Cabinet and as a government and as a Legislature is to manage our way through this. I’m sitting here as the Minister of Finance. Mr. McLeod, as Mr. Ramsay pointed out, is the Minister of Transportation. And, of course, the Premier is here as well. Collectively as a Cabinet we’re intent on managing our way through this. As Finance Minister I’m accountable in the role that I play and we are here to manage our way through this and we are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The act lays out processes for various departments. Ministers, deputies and all their staff have that information available. There are checks and balances through the system, approval processes required. As well, there are audits done on a regular basis. We table all the reports in the House. When there are concerns raised, they are backtracked to wherever they originated and we make efforts to remedy those situations. Thank you.

No, Mr. Chairman, we are ready for detail.

Those realities are currently in place. The contact has been made. We’re waiting for the clarification. The deputy minister, of course, has been on top of this along with his very able assistant deputy minister to stand ready to try to resolve this. We’ll see what happens by the end of the week, but we hope we’ll be able to move this process forward quickly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The intent is to get enough work done that we can, in fact, come forward through the capital planning process this coming fall with enough work done to make a decision about next steps. So the intent is not to lose that time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s a contribution, which is why it’s listed that way.

The Member says tomato, I say tomato. We’re on it, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for recognizing that we’re on it. If he would like me to say tomato instead of tomato, I’d be happy to say that, but the point is, we’re going to the same place and the Member’s suggestion is an excellent one: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. No, we would not be opposed to that.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.