Certainly. I will speak generally and then ask my colleagues Marc Brazeau and Nicholas Wilkshire to add to my answer.
The first example is that normally ministers do have authority to enter into agreements within their purview. In this case, for the minister responsible for the bridge we have included provisions to ensure that there is absolutely no doubt that the minister has the authority to enter into agreements with various parties, such as the province, municipalities, and other organizations, to ensure that we have all of the agreements in place to prepare all of the work necessary for the construction of the bridge. Again this provides certainty.
There are other examples as well with respect to the authority for the Minister of Public Works and Government Services to award contracts. Then again, given the fact that the Minister of Public Works has the authority under the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, but given that this project is built as a bridge, there might be interpretation that it does not constitute a public work per se under the other act.
Those are the areas in which this bill would provide clarity.
Marc.