Public Accounts committee  No.

Public Accounts committee  No.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I think it's really important to note the difference between our operating budget and our capital budget. I believe the line the member was referring to in the corporate plan was referring to the fact that we've had static budgets in operating. As I say, we have, thankfully, over the course of the last five years received additional capital funds, which have allowed us to start addressing the deferred maintenance challenges.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, there have been no concerns raised by the Office of the Auditor General related to this project and, frankly, in the audit record over the last five years—no general concern that required action or follow-up by the NCC. However, because it was extremely helpful, I do think it's important, and I appreciate the special examination that was done in 2017, which took a deep dive into the NCC and concluded that the NCC did not have sufficient capital funds to keep its asset base in good condition.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, the NCC was founded, or its precursor was founded, in 1899. I can't go back through the full history but I'm pretty certain that 2018 was the first time the NCC engaged a construction management model since this infusion of deferred-maintenance money presented an opportunity to quickly, efficiently and effectively get going with projects without the need, as I said, to hire additional staff.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, the characterization that I would make about the decision of going with a construction manager is ultimately based on value for money. It's not philosophical.

Public Accounts committee  The comment I made about deferred maintenance was the conclusion of the Office of the Auditor General, who in 2017 had done a special examination—

Public Accounts committee  In general, we were in agreement with the fact that we had a deferred maintenance challenge, yes.

Public Accounts committee  The elevator goes down into the basement. The basement is a place where we store a lot of the materials and equipment. Many of these are of a size and weight that you can't transport via stairs. A freight elevator moves between the two storeys of the facility.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, one thing I said at the outset that bears repeating is that $8 million is a lot of money. I have a responsibility to my board and to the taxpayers of this country to deliver all of the NCC budget as effectively and efficiently as possible. If the question is about whether I asked questions, the answer is yes.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I think it's useful to note that when the decision was made in 2018 to go with a construction manager, that followed two really salient points. One is that a special examination by the Office of the Auditor General in 2017 concluded that we had a serious deferred-maintenance problem.

Public Accounts committee  Often, too, the NCC will ensure that there is an independent examination of the cost estimates to get accurate portrayals of what the budgets will be.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, as I mentioned, Pomerleau was the construction manager. I know they oversaw at least 20 public tenders—open tenders for subcontractors to bid—in order to have the various disciplines of the project undertaken.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question. The answer is twofold. Yes, the NCC has in its employ a design and construction branch with professionals who are the interface between the NCC and the construction manager. The second part of the answer is that when the NCC made the decision in 2018 to hire a construction manager to help with the implementation of dozens and dozens of projects, it was made through a decision about efficiency.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I would situate it a little bit differently. The construction manager is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the project, but as the client, the NCC has to work closely in the development of designs and plans, in assuring project integrity and in playing a challenge function on costs.