Thank you very much.
It seems the die is cast, but I'll make the valiant effort anyway to maybe shake a vote or two loose. Who knows? You never know.
This is a really bad idea. This motion is not in the best interests of Canadian taxpayers in any regard. Every single witness that this committee has called before it from the private sector and the public sector has suggested that what our government is doing is in the best interests of taxpayers. There has not been one witness who has said that what we've suggested is not in the best interest of taxpayers, that it is not fully compliant with all the measures of accountability, that it is not above board and gets value for dollars for taxpayers' money. In fact, I can quote some of the witnesses who were before the committee.
James McKellar, who we will recall is the professor of real property from York University, said that what this government is doing is “really a practical solution”. He asked himself a rhetorical question: “Is it a good time to sell? It's a great time to sell.”
We've had submissions as well. Sandy McNair from Altus InSite, which is a division of the Altus Group Limited, experts on commercial real estate, said that our government's plan is a prudent and appropriate approach to best meet the immediate and long-term needs of the federal government.
Paul Hindo, who is the vice-president and general manager of Cushman & Wakefield LePage, said the government strategy is the way to go.
Stan Krawitz, who is the president of Real Facilities Inc., one of Toronto's leading authorities in commercial real estate, said the timing of a possible sale couldn't be better.
Ms. Nash, before the committee when Michael Fortier was here—not the last time but the time before—said, quote: “This all sounds very good. Minister Fortier has been before the committee twice on this subject, and both times he was—”