Mr. Speaker, politics should never stand in the way of signed legal agreements. I am talking about the portion of the Hibernia oil project that was given to the Saint John shipyard in New Brunswick under a signed agreement.
The board decided on Saint John Shipbuilding because it is an ice free port and because the company has the proven expertise to do the job.
This past Tuesday the Prime Minister stated that he is asking the board to review and overturn the signed legal agreement with Saint John Shipbuilding in order to put it out to tender. Under the agreement the government may be liable for expenses and damages as a result of the termination of the agreement, should it occur.
Is this what the government is all about, cancelling signed legal agreements that could cost the taxpayers millions of dollars in damages? I ask the Prime Minister to please keep politics out of a signed agreement for the Saint John shipyard. The taxpayers have paid enough.