Madam Speaker, I will not disagree with the member on his point, as long as he understands that the member himself also has to meet the criteria that he has laid out. I think the member would agree. I would like to point out a couple of examples used by the member.
He said that an office building was leased and the building was not moved into for a year. He used that as an example of patent patronage.
The matter came before the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The building actually was built by the company to the specifications of Public Works and Government Services. It was delivered on time and on spec. The tenants scheduled by the government to move in required substantial changes to the building layout and to the preparations of it. It led to about a year's delay in their getting into the building.
The member is suggesting that since a person who was an officer of that company at the time subsequently became a senator it is a Liberal payoff.
Clearly, as was stated at committee, the company that built the building and is leasing it had absolutely nothing to do with the delay. That in fact was confirmed by the ethics officer of the Senate in a complete 20 page report which is available to the member as he knows.
He mentioned sole sourcing and that somehow sole sourcing without going to competitive bids is a nefarious activity.
Under Treasury Board guidelines sole sourcing is permitted in certain circumstances. For example it is permitted for contracts under $25,000, where there is only one possible supplier, and where there is an emergency and it has to be dealt with quickly. I believe there are a couple of other circumstances.
The member would like to throw around a lot of examples but I am really concerned why the member did not talk about the significance and importance of making the changes proposed in Bill C-57 to bring it into line with the Canada Business Corporations Act and the Insurance Companies Act. It is going to ensure that there is an efficient operation within the financial system and provides a better foundation for accountability, transparency and governance.
These are the important things that Canadians should be advised of on this matter. If the member wants to use examples, I understand the opposition will take every opportunity. It is the opposition's job to talk about other things, but I think it is important first of all to emphasize the priority, which is the importance of the financial sector to Canada's economy.