Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, regarding my questioning today, there is due process that takes place when contracts are let. The successful bidder gets a contract through a public tendering process. There is always the effect of people opposing the decision, because they are not satisfied that their bid, realizing they were not the lowest bidder, interferes.
Yet, Mr. Speaker, through that process, there are also the political channels that can be used, where people can get a hold of the MLAs and in some cases, talk directly to the Minister. In this case, the Minister was contacted by a contractor who was the competitive bid on this contract.
I would like to ask the Minister, what role did that play in the decision of the department not to allow access to that gravel pit?