Mr. Speaker, CIDA contracts over $100,000 require ministerial approval. CIDA's bidding process, approved by Treasury Board, requires that there be no regional partiality in contracting. However, 71 per cent of the dollar value of the top 20 service contracts signed in 1995 are going to entities in Quebec.
Can it be shown in the face of these numbers that CIDA is giving fair consideration to companies outside Quebec, or did regional distribution requirements acquire flexibility because of the 1995 referendum?