Mr. Speaker, the government persistently refuses to right a wrong done to Quebec, by transferring immediately the contract for the construction of a Hibernia drilling sub-unit to the Quebec shipbuilder MIL Davie, the only loser in this whole business, as it was the only other bidder on this contract. Yet Hibernia argued that the time constraints and deadlines required that this contract be assigned to Saint John Shipbuilding without competitive bidding.
My question is directed to whichever minister would be so kind as to answer on behalf of the government. How is it that the government has the time to call for tenders now, when the normal practice, as the Quebec Minister of Industry indicated, is to go to the next bidder on the list if the first one is unable to perform the work?