One of the situations I have run into lately is with regard to the $5,000 allowance for furniture and equipment. If I'm not mistaken, a deal was negotiated with two national organizations, I believe Grand & Toy and another firm--I'm not sure exactly which one--that prevents us, basically, from buying locally in a lot of cases. I'd just like to know if the deals that were made provide us with substantial discounts, because I was not able to buy in my riding. As a matter of fact, I believe there was one organization in Winnipeg, and I can imagine that the people who are in rural areas are certainly limited by this fact. Was it worthwhile organizing this deal with these two organizations?
On May 11th, 2006. See this statement in context.