Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
A few things are very troubling in this file, We are told that CED needed more space and that is why Place Bonaventure was considered. Suddenly, another decision was made. Mr. McGrath provided some bits of information but I'm still very concerned. Take the example of what happens in our ridings. When we ask government offices to move to another region, there is a very long lead time. Those are long-term plans and I find it difficult to believe that the strategy could be changed overnight.
I have another concern. I see in the report on the Auditor General that, since her report of 2002, the federal government's Expenditure Review Committee has determined that our real estate activities could lead to savings of about one billion dollars over five years. That is why the department started a strategic initiative based on this financial objective. At least, I wouldn't think that your strategy was to make sure that you would pay more in this case. I find it very difficult to understand how the decision could be reversed when you got a winning bid through a call for tenders. The Auditor General has reminded us that the department has the power to impose a solution to his clients relating to their space needs. Since you had a strategy, why did you not use this power to force Canada Economic Development to move?