Public Accounts committee  It's not true.

Public Accounts committee  It's your right.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, I thank the member for his question. It will give me the opportunity to repeat what I said at the beginning. When the Deputy Minister, Mr. Gladu, announced that we were to move, I asked him why. He explained that there had been a tendering process, that Place Bonaventure was the lowest bidder and that we would be moving there.

Public Accounts committee  I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman. Can I use the time Mr. Poilievre took from me? I am astounded that Mr. Gladu was surprised, because when he told me about it, I was with my chief of staff—at the following meeting or at the one where it was announced—and I told him that I would be looking into the matter.

Public Accounts committee  I was going to tell you that I did not reverse the decision, I asked for a verification. That's very different, Mr. Poilievre. I asked whether it would be possible to save the million dollars the move would have cost.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Poilievre, I was told that the government would need additional office space and that it would be filled by other people. So there was no double payment. Public Works and Government Services Canada leases the space it needs for all departments and the public service. Additional office space was needed and it was leased at Place Bonaventure.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, if Mr. Poilievre wants to accuse anyone, he may do so, but he should not ask me to make accusations. I'm not accusing anyone. Public Works and Government Services Canada, that is, the government and the department, who made the decision. I simply asked for a verification.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman, I find Mr. Poilievre's approach curious. All I did was to ask for a verification. I have never accused Mr. Goodale. If Mr. Poilievre wants to do so, let him do it here, and I hope he would also do so outside this room, because that would show courage, and that is something I would appreciate.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for your question. As I said from the outset, I was not sure that Place Bonaventure was the best choice, but you are right, it was the cheapest one. That's a significant difference. The deputy minister of the day, Mr. Gladu, had said that it was a concrete building and that trains ran underneath it, whereas the Tour de la Bourse, at Place Victoria, had a glass facade.

Public Accounts committee  I would like to respond in English, but unfortunately that is too difficult for me. I do not want to make you suffer, and I want to recognize our very competent interpreters. I appreciated their work for nearly nine years. But perhaps I speak too quickly. I was surprised—

Public Accounts committee  Unfortunately, you will never experience this type of situation, because the Bloc Québécois will always remain in the opposition.

Public Accounts committee  I would ask you to please let me finish, Mr. Laforest. You would have the opportunity to meet terrific public servants who are working very hard on behalf of the population...

Public Accounts committee  As the minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada, I wanted to make sure that the agency's employees, who are very hard working... I did what I had to do, which was to look at all options, while respecting the rules, without intervening directly and without it costing taxpayers a single penny.

Public Accounts committee  As I was saying, when the deputy minister told me about the situation, and when he mentioned that the move would be hard on employees, and so on, I understood that I had to, without interfering, see whether it was possible or not to find a solution in accordance with the rules. I wanted everything to be transparent, so I wrote a letter to find out whether staying in the building was possible.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Laforest, it is important that you understand that the Economic Development Agency of Canada did not initiate the tendering process; it was the Department of Public Works and Government Services. Second, the government needed additional office space for its employees. What I was told at the time is that even if we did not move into Place Bonaventure, the rented space would be filled by other federal public servants.