MP Casey gets standing ovation, then fires submarine-contract barb - TheChronicleHerald.ca
MP Casey gets standing ovation, then fires submarine-contract barb By STEPHEN MAHER Ottawa Bureau Fri. Apr 4 - 5:32 AM Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey wants the federal government to show him the whole chart on submarine contract tenders. (TOM HANSON / CP) OTTAWA — The West Coast firm that beat out the Halifax Shipyard for a $1.5-billion submarine maintenance contract apparently had the highest bid, Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey charged during question period Thursday. Mr. Casey, who believes the contract should be reopened, asked the government to confirm that the West Coast consortium was the highest bidder. "When I applied through access to information to confirm this, it sent me this really nice chart but all the numbers are blanked out on it," he said in the Commons. "Therefore, would the minister confirm that the bid chosen was the most expensive, highest-priced tender and would he now table the complete chart with the numbers so we can all see what the tenders were?" James Moore, parliamentary secretary to Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, said he could not answer as the issue is before the courts. Irving, which owns the Halifax Shipyard, is suing the federal government, seeking to have the contract reopened. "I would be glad to work with my colleague to get him whatever information he is looking for," Mr. Moore said. He also said it was good to see Mr. Casey, who was back in the House to ask his first question since undergoing surgery on Jan. 31 for prostate cancer. "I know all members of the House from all parties will welcome him back to the House and wish him a full recovery," Mr. Moore said. "It is great to see him back in the House." Mr. Casey was greeted with a standing ovation from MPs in all parties. The MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley has been pursuing the submarine story from his home outside Amherst while recovering. He maintains that the government has broken its own rules in handling the submarine maintenance contract. He says the contract meets the definition of a "major Crown project," a classification that requires a more complex purchasing procedure, including a process for distributing industrial benefits around the country. The government denies this is so, but spokespeople have repeatedly been unable to point to rules that back up their contention, while Mr. Casey is able to cite regulations that appear to show the venture should be designated a major Crown project. Inserted from <http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1047453.html>
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