Government Operations committee  When the minister is proposing to enter into a new lease, a value-for-money assessment is always done. If the lease, for example, is on the Quebec side, and let's say it is a class A building, the amount negotiated would be compared to the class A rent both on the Quebec side and

Government Operations committee  Yes, sir. We would always look at the long-term costs, whether for leasing over a long period of time or for acquisition and maintenance, and we would compare the proposal that the minister brings forward against a range of alternatives. The objective is always best value for mo

Government Operations committee  I don't know, sir. I don't know how the contract will be treated from an ATIP point of view.

Government Operations committee  There's not a strict Treasury Board policy around where a department will locate or not locate, but you're quite correct in that there is a government position that seeks to establish a dispersion of government accommodation in the national capital region: 75%-25%. Currently that

Government Operations committee  What do we pay the banks today? I don't know.

Government Operations committee  I would venture to say that would be determined by the lease terms and conditions.

Government Operations committee  We'll try—

Government Operations committee  No, sir.

Government Operations committee  PW would have that information. I don't have that information.

Government Operations committee  I would assume so, but I don't know.

Government Operations committee  I'm not aware of a conscious decision to pursue longer leases as a matter of course. That said, I know that Public Works negotiates the lease terms and conditions on a case-by-case basis, bearing in mind the client's needs. Now, if a client was only going to be in a building for

Government Operations committee  My understanding is that the banks will do the appraisals, and--

Government Operations committee  That would be a question for Public Works. I don't know, because I don't hold that documentation. But if I may, coming back to your previous question, the RFP that PW put out asked bidders--and the banks ultimately won the RFP process--to do two tasks: do research on what would b

Government Operations committee  That's part of the deal that PW has with the banks.

Government Operations committee  I don't know that to be public information.