Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is in keeping with what Mr. Bagnell said. I have a few questions. I fully understand the measures implemented to advance the InfraGuide; I served as a mayor of a municipality over several terms. I'm well informed regarding what you have been telling me. What I am hearing from large businesses is a problem for me.
A private business, especially a major corporation, has a fundamental goal of making money and sharing the profits with shareholders. Let us be clear: the less money that is spent on a contract, the higher the profits, and the higher the dividends paid out to shareholders.
However, you are presenting the opposite vision; you want to see the government get the best expertise possible. In fact, your vision is not totally opposite. You also suggest focusing in on a company's quality and ability to innovate, even if it is a young company, and that innovation in construction should also be fostered.
The fact of awarding this type of contract to a very large company, which will in turn seek subcontractors at the lowest price possible among small businesses... I am not implying that these small businesses are necessarily unqualified, but the underlying goal is to get the lowest bid, and certainly not the highest one. When a large company launches a call for tenders, it is seeking to get the lowest price. It comes down to a matter of cost and the capacity to provide the service, and does not go any further than that.
You state that we should favour competency and innovation in certain areas, but there lies the contradiction. Indeed, I, for one, believe that a private business is not a charity, and never will be.
When we learn that major companies like Rogers will be expanding regionally, this is a big problem for me because I come from a region. I would like to get your reactions to that.