Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my understanding of it, it usually takes one day, but in the case of the NTCL, when they found out they did not have this application, they did file an application with the department in which it took them 14 days to get approval, but that was after the bids were open. So they did make an attempt to do it, but yet, they were still refused a contract.
So I would like to ask the Minister, are you willing to take into account that there is a requirement there and there is a process that people can follow, in regard to allowing contracts and contracting services to be conducted in a manner that is within reason, that you do sit down with the contractor, make them aware of the situation, and allow for some timeframe to take place, so that they can get the required documentation and be able to have the ability to do it? Knowing that these are northern based companies and especially that they are aboriginal owned. The aboriginal people, this is their homeland and they should not have to go through the stringent requirements of having to prove who they are. It should be the other way around. The government should prove to them who they are, if they were here first.
So I think that this government should seriously consider looking at allowing for that time and flexibility of that time to take place, so that the contractors could have the opportunity to conclude those required documentations, so they can meet the BIP and the Manufacturers' Directive.