As politicians we know that the power of perception, when something is seen or heard or certainly told, Mr. Speaker. My point being is that the power of perception here does not meet the “perceived to be fair” when it comes to the contract and tendering process, because we have no clear guidelines and appeal mechanisms. The Minister says they could appeal to the system, but that’s back to the finance director or, of course, go to the comptroller general, which shows no independence of our process. That was even highlighted by our Auditor General in her recent report regarding contracting, Mr. Speaker. One of the requests that committee supported was the development of an appeal process recognizing the Agreement on Internal Trade.

Mr. Speaker, where is this in the development of the government through its process to ensure that these contracts are seen as fair and are fair? Thank you.