Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Public Works has explained to us in great detail why the contract for supplying furniture for the Legislative Assembly went to a firm in Hay River on the other side of the lake. He has explained the need to have a level playing field. I am going to test his ingenuity to explain why this contract was awarded in this way.
In September, there was a tender for a tanker. This bituminous oil tanker had three replies to the tender call: Wilmag Equipment from Edmonton, for $67,459; Yellowknife Motors, for $68,808; and Northern Metallic, Hay River, for $70,800. The award was given to the Hay River company even though it was the highest bid. This was done ingeniously, Mr. Speaker. Yellowknife Motors was given a 15 per cent B.I.P. adjustment. The Edmonton firm got zero. The Hay River company, however, got a 20 per cent adjustment. It got the 15 per cent plus the extra five. We find that the attempt to create this level playing field with adjusted figures does not really work. This five per cent was applied to the Hay River case even though the Yellowknife bid, from a person in my constituency, was denied that five per cent B.I.P. adjustment that was given to the people of Hay River. Please explain that.