Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I find it hard to believe that this was the only bid that did come in. So technically, that was the only group that showed an interest in taking a hold of this project. I find it hard to believe that this government has now extended a contract that was already subsequently closed, in which there was only one bidder. What you are doing is setting up a total monopoly or jeopardizing a corporation's ability to build a trusting relationship with this government, knowing that every time they put a bid in, and if you are the only bidder, if somebody said, "Well, I do not have enough time to put a bid in," it will allow another bidder an opportunity to know what the price is, go back, put another bid a week later -- which does not lead much to building trust between ourselves and contractors who took the time and the risk to put the proposal in, knowing that was the price that they put in the bid.
If you are going to continue to open up these bids and say, "Sorry we opened up your bid. You are the only bidder." It is a public process where people can know what is in these bids when they are opened, and go out the door and put another bid in the following week. They know that this government will automatically re-apply this process of bidding until finally the group that suits the department is the one that gets the bid that meets what they want.
I do not think it is fair to contractors, especially northern contractors and northern-based companies, to have to go through this process of having to continue to have their bids rejected on the basis that they were the only one. I find it kind of hard to believe that this was the only company that bid on this project. Is it the only bid that went into the department? Now they are being told, "Sorry, we cannot accept it so we are going to put it out to bid for another week." I would like to ask the Minister, is that the practice of this government?