Government Operations committee  I've just finished travelling in the most important cities in the Province of Quebec. The concern was exactly what you're expressing: that the cost of preparing for P3s is quite expensive. Therefore, they're trying to find a means for us to develop a mattress of sorts, where they

Government Operations committee  I entirely agree.

Government Operations committee  If we look at the legislation put in place for Quebec's Agence des partenariats public-privé and Infrastructure Québec, we see that restrictions have been placed on the project implementation method. Those restrictions include the obligation to know who the partners will be, when

Government Operations committee  It will be the same profile as for large municipalities. You need the necessary expertise for the project you want to start up. In Contrecoeur, for example, if we plan to establish a centre like the Quartier DIX30 in the Montreal area to provide services to the surrounding popula

Government Operations committee  In light of what has happened in Lévis, for example, which I referred to a little earlier, there is a respectable amount of flexibility for the smallest projects. Our institute predicts that, in the coming years, there will be a lot fewer big projects and more smaller projects. W

Government Operations committee  Not necessarily. I have just come back from Europe, where we had a meeting on public-private partnership projects for French-speaking parliamentarians. We said that we should group together by region when we want to provide services such as arenas, water controls or infrastructur

Government Operations committee  I would add that there is some concern among the public—and we sense this—about the possibility that major contractors, major engineering firms, may line their pockets, thus benefiting their own businesses, but to the detriment of the taxpayers. On the other hand, as you mentione

Government Operations committee  From the outset, I would say yes. That is one of the reasons why, in our October 18 forum, we focused the debate more on the needs of small communities, regional municipalities, and smaller-scale projects, those of $10 million or less, which did not involve all the costly terms a

Government Operations committee  Each one is an individual case that must be evaluated based on transparency, competition and the need for maximum return on the money we invest. I gave your clerk a notebook outlining the method for quickly evaluating what is compatible with a project carried out under a public-p

Government Operations committee  Look at what is going on in Lévis, for example. It is the tenth largest city in Quebec and it was unable to provide certain public services to its population, such as a congress centre, figure skating centre and soccer fields. It had to respond quickly to those types of demands f

Government Operations committee  I do not believe we are here to absolve governments of any liability or to take on the planners' responsibility for all P3 projects, but rather to make sure that different tools are at legislators' disposal for the purpose of providing services to the public. There is no monopol

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, the Institut pour le partenariat public-privé is pleased to be taking part in the committee's hearings on public-private partnerships. With your permission, I will briefly present the institute a