I give some credit where credit is due. This is a bit of an exception to the rule, but notwithstanding, I’m sure this is not the first time our government has had to purchase expensive items in US funds and I’m assuming we will continue to do so for years to come.
My role here as a legislator is to protect the public purse, and in doing so it’s incumbent upon myself to make sure the department is working towards the betterment of processes, the betterment of procedures so that we have a high degree of certainty when we do a desktop analysis as to what these projects will cost in the future. As I said, every year it seems to be something different with respect to these 802 Fire Bosses. This year now it’s about the evaluation of the Canadian currency vis-à-vis the American currency, so I’m a bit disenfranchised that through it all we’re still looking into it, we may see we s
till don’t have a project or a directive or a
policy that clearly says these are the things to do when we’re buying items, these are the issues of
hedging or whatever the case, whatever you’ve heard from the previous Member here that clearly give Members on this side
of the House when we’re
buying something for millions of dollars in this case here.
My next question is that, if memory serves, this project was a little over $30 million, I believe, a three-
year period. We know that there’s another
installment coming forward in infrastructure possibly for next year, so what does that mean for the next year now? If the dollar stays the same, are we going to be facing the same type of question next year for those who are going to be here for the future 18th Assembly?