Seven separate federal departments under your government approved this project. In fact, even Treasury Board, on October 10, under your leadership, approved this project. In fact, Deputy Minister Wouters, who was before this committee, said it was not even Treasury Board's responsibility to deal with this matter in this way, that it was in fact Transport's. It was Transport's file. It was Transport's decision. Your own deputy minister said it was another minister who should have had responsibility here.
We know there were 10 such other projects going on at the same time, including one in Toronto that was sole-sourced to Bombardier, yet not one of these other projects was treated in this way. This was the only project that was treated in this way. You picked this one out despite the fact that it also won a national award for procurement.
Treasury Board wasn't involved at all in the efficacy of the project--it was Transport--so, first, why were you making these decisions and not the transportation minister? Certainly you could talk to him or say that it's his file and he should be dealing with it. Why was it you particularly, particularly after all the others, including the transport minister and the transport department, had signed off on the project?
In fact, there was no reason given for the funding to be withheld. The only reason given was that there was a single clause in a 600-page document that you interpreted as allowing you to buy some more time, and yet we heard from Mr. Wouters, your former deputy minister, that on that 600-page contract you never consulted him or his officials in your determination of that.
When you were making decisions on this contract, making public proclamations that had a major impact on a municipal election, if you didn't contact or discuss it with even your own deputy minister, who did you review it with? Who did advise you on this contract in the four days that you had it between October 6 and October 10? In those four days, on 600 pages, where did you get your advice, if not from your own deputy minister and his officials?