I want to say in all seriousness that anybody who thinks this is a constituency by constituency issue is dead wrong. This has got nothing to do with constituencies, per say. It has got everything to do with trying to bring about the purchasing power for the infrastructure needs of the communities, based on certain priorities. This is not a political issue. It is a policy one, a change in the way in which we build our infrastructure. The P3 projects would be done on its individual merits and the project has to be feasible. They have to bring some return at some point to the government, this one and the future one. There may well be where one constituency may get, I do not know, one or two projects and some do not. I do not think it is a question of saying the politically correct thing is to do one in each riding. That is not the way you run government. It may well be, Mr. Chairman, that there could be one or two projects in a riding versus none in the other. However, we are not at that stage right now and we will be in the next two or three days. I think it will become clear to everybody when we present it to the committees exactly what I am saying. It is nothing I am trying to avoid discussing, but I think it is a little premature because it is still being worked out at the bureaucratic level. The projects have to bring some return to the government, both short and long term. Thank you.
John Todd on Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on February 23rd, 1998. See this statement in context.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 22nd, 1998
Page 1012
John Todd Keewatin Central
See context to find out what was said next.