Basically, the ministers concerned, and the Department of Canadian Heritage in particular, misunderstood their role in the competition.
There's actually a text, amendment number 2 to the first request for proposals, which explains exactly what the role of the Department of Canadian Heritage should have been. That text was included in the contract documents and thus guided the department's behaviour. It states, “An expert jury is being assembled for this competition.” Then it continues as follows, “The Minister of Canadian Heritage, as minister responsible for commemorative monuments on federal lands in Canada's Capital Region, and the Minister of Veterans Affairs, will be jointly responsible for endorsing the jury's selection of the winning design.”
That was the role of the Department of Canadian Heritage. It wasn't to second-guess the jury or to challenge what it did, but rather to endorse its decision to ensure the project was properly carried out.
I can yield the floor to Francyne Lord because I believe that's what normally happens for public art experts.