Minister responsible for forest management programs, Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The request for proposal was exactly that, a request for proposals from Northwest Territories companies to respond to the fixed-wing firefighting needs of the Northwest Territories government. We did have people submit proposals. They were evaluated by the department and, consequently, Buffalo Air was awarded the fixed wing contract.

The request for proposals is so that people can propose to use how they would like to deliver, for example, so many gallons of water per minute...(Microphone turned off) The department made a decision to accept the proposal and it is a five-year contract. Buffalo Air was the winner and they will be carrying out that contract. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through the request for proposals for fixed-wing bombers and Bird Dog planes, we did require certain standards. For example, we did put into the proposal that possibly you would need 12 doors that opened at two seconds and things like that, but we would consider alternates. That was very clear in the request for proposals. We would consider alternates on how the service is delivered to the Northwest Territories through a northern operator's company. We did look at the proposals, we considered them and they were evaluated extensively. In the end, we accepted Buffalo Airways' proposal. It saved this government approximately $5 million over a five-year period. We feel confident that they meet the standards we can live with to fight fires in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't seem to be getting a total answer to my question. Would the Minister agree that the request for proposals' standards that have been requested are only general guidelines which bidders do not necessarily have to meet? Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, in the request for proposals we did stipulate certain things. We requested from the bidders who were responding to the proposal to either meet those requirements or to give us alternatives on how they would do it differently. That is the whole idea of a request for proposals. That is what we did and we accepted a proposal from Buffalo Airways and we feel confident they meet the standards that we feel comfortable with in order to fight fires in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. It seems to me, Mr. Speaker, from the Minister's reply that the request for proposals' standards are only general guidelines that the government adheres to. I would like to ask the Minister who determines what standards are acceptable for safety reasons. Thank you.

Mr. Morin.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The basic standards for fixed-wing are determined by Transport Canada. Any other standards we want to add to that can be done. The senior management of this government are the ones who say how many hours are required, what experience pilots need or what type of aircraft we use.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Koe.