Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A request for proposals is exactly that. It is a request for proposals to northern companies to offer up their services. There are certain standards in the request for proposal that are in there bemuse of MOT and licences that are required that have to be adhered to. There are other standards we would like to see but we would accept other qualifications and give us your proposal.
That's the whole idea. For example, maybe some pilots did not have 20 years' fire experience, but what Members must understand is that these standards have been set over a period of 20 years and they are set from a ratchet effect. For example, maybe you only needed two hours' firefighting experience 20 years ago, but as Con Air got 20 hours then it moved up. Every time the past contractor got the hours that were needed, then all of a sudden the hours moved up, and we call that a "ratchet effect." So, for example, if you were to supply a DC-6 you would have to supply it with only a certain size cargo door. Who paid for that? We did. It cost $1 million. Now, it is part of the standard so how can other people compete? We have to change that, we have to change the attitude of how we tendered and we have to change it so it benefits northern people. That's what happens. This contract benefits northern people.
For example, maybe a pilot didn't have 10,000 hours of firefighting experience, but I know about the pilots in command of DC aircraft and land-based air tankers. One has 16,000 hours of experience, 15,500 hours in the Canadian army. Another pilot in command has 12,300 hours of flying experience and seven years of fire suppression with a DC-6 in NWT, Alberta, Saskatchewan and BC. That's acceptable to us, there's no problem. A pilot who is second in command has 2,500 hours with a DC-4 and three years in the NWT. He can haul men and equipment for forestry each summer. He's also the company's safety officer. He's acceptable to us.
Another pilot who is second in command has three years in the NWT, has 2,100 hours flying experience in a DC-4, and has hauled men and equipment for forestry for three summers as well. Then we have reserve pilots for these aircraft with 18,000 hours; 23,000 hours; 15,000 hours; 3,000 hours in a Bird Dog aircraft; 30 years in the NWT. All these things are acceptable to us as a government for awarding this contract to a northern company. I can go on and on about these peoples' experience. As far as I'm concerned, they're experienced, they meet the standards that we have mutually agreed to, and we are going to fight fires with them this summer. Thank you.