Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight two things that are terribly wrong with the way the Housing Corporation and the Cabinet have exempted themselves from its own BIP. Mr. Speaker, first of all, it’s the lack of input from the regular Members and a major shift in a government policy. Not just the exemption from the BIP, but the major change in the long-held policy of the Housing Corporation. For the entire period of its life, Mr. Speaker, the corporation has insisted on stick built homes rather than mobile homes. This was changed and maybe there...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister bring to the table, as Minister responsible for the policy as well as maximizing economic benefits for the money that government spends, information that would counterbalance the apparent saving that we are going to get from buying from a factory in Edmonton, such as the taxes we are going to get, the consumer spending, the contributions that the businesses make, the transfer payments we get from Ottawa? Would the Minister get his people to crunch numbers and do a real cost benefit analysis rather than going for the cheapest? Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would much prefer action from the Ministers rather than gratitude. There is something strange that happens in this House. When the Cabinet Ministers get elected they are inflicted instantly with a case of amnesia.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Bell doesn’t have to do a year of study. He knows all of the issues inside out, upside down pertaining to this. He talked about this. And you know what? He doesn’t need a year of registry study, he could just go out there and talk to the people. I know he got a call this morning, I got a call from a business in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, yesterday we finally received the package from the Housing Corporation about how cheap they can buy 22 mobile homes at factory cost from down south. Well, Mr. Speaker, I could have done that. I could have just called the number and got the costs. I would certainly expect that Cabinet will make decisions like this on the basis of more comprehensive information and cost-benefit analysis.

Just yesterday we approved the government budget and RWED got $83 million and PYs of 480 people. I know that somewhere in there that department has...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister mentioned there are lots of businesses that have picked up the tenders, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that as many businesses are going to be able to actually meet the bidding requirements and have them back on April 2nd, because my understanding is the notice for this sort of project for these houses was so short and it was only for three weeks. Mr. Speaker, I’d also like to still know when he’s prepared to give us the background information on which the Cabinet decided to waive the BIP. We still don’t have that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t know if I can ask any questions on that because I am assuming that litigation is before the courts.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my Member’s statement, my question today is for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, as I stated, there have been lots of less-than-good behaviour on the part of the Cabinet and the Housing Corporation in the way they have dealt with this. Mr. Speaker, I think that exempting BIP, exempting themselves from their own policy, requires a justification. We still have not been provided with any evidence that proves that to us. We still do not have any documents, although the Ministers have promised for the last week or so.

Second of...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.

Mr. Speaker, where there is a major contract…Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a short comment to close the debate. I appreciate the Members' comments. I just wanted to add that this goes back to…Having been here for five years, I guess not everybody shares my view, but I have gained a healthy dose of skepticism and cynicism in the way the information is provided to us. Mr. Chairman, I don't mean any disrespect to any of the staff or accountants. Accountants balance numbers. They make sure that what goes on the left side goes on the right side. Ministers are the ones who set the priorities, and I think under the consensus government...