“The Opposition appears to be working on the theory that if you repeat a falsehood often enough, people will believe it. Their latest press release is a good example of that principle. Let’s deal with their points in turn:
 
1.         Government has promised, and continues to do so, that it will release all the documents of the transaction after it is consummated: i.e. after financial close. That hasn’t happened yet as matters are still being negotiated. We cannot release things that are not yet agreed.

2.         The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee issued summonses without the prior notification or agreement of his committee members. Those summonses were therefore invalid. There was also information that was subject to signed non-disclosure obligations and therefore could not be released without the express permission of the other two signatories to the agreement. We take our obligations under signed contracts seriously, as people would expect.

3.         There was no violation of Financial Instructions. We received written permission from the Accountant General to waive the need for an RFP. That waiver was published in the Royal Gazette.

4.         Government has been forthright with the publication of its statements about the project, having conducted many public meetings. This agreement is one between two governments, Bermuda and Canada - through CCC. CCC are the prime contractor and it was CCC’s decision to award the prime subcontractor role to Aecon. The Bermuda government did not make that choice.

5.         The Opposition is looking for another assessor of Value For Money because it does not like the conclusion reached by Steer Davies Cleave - that the Government has indeed received value for money in this transaction. Steer Davies Cleave is a large international firm with offices around the world that provide this type of advice to governments and industry. They are experts on project management, not accountants. The Auditor General does not have the appropriate skill set for this assignment. The Auditor General’s role is to provide an audit opinion on public accounts on an ex post facto basis, not provide the type of service that the Opposition is conjuring up.

6.         This is a complex transaction, but Government has provided more information on it than any transaction in Bermuda’s history.

7.         There is no satisfying the Opposition on this project. They are opposed to it for empty political reasons. It is shameful that they are prepared to put naked politics before the interests of the country and job opportunities for hundreds of unemployed Bermudians.”