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The process that is underway risks achieving a suboptimal result despite the genuine goodwill and hard work of the NCC and all of those involved. During the bidding process, the bidders were prohibited from talking to each other, to prevent collusion. But the rule against such discussions makes no sense now that the bidding process is over. The NCC’s decision to negotiate with only one proponent means that there is currently no way for it even to consider combining the best of both projects.

As former elected representatives serving the residents of the National Capital Region for the past several decades (from both sides of the political aisle), we believe that the federal government has an obligation – not only to the people of Ottawa, but to the people of Canada – to find a path forward that will give us the very best result. Based on our own experiences as Ottawa-area ministers serving in different cabinets, we also believe there is a creative solution to this process.

The NCC itself can come to the conclusion that there is considerable merit in marrying the best of both proposals. The Commission’s own Request for Proposals gives it wide discretion to make changes even at this stage. If the NCC does not want to act, the minister responsible for the NCC, Mélanie Joly, and local MPs (including our most senior minister, Catherine McKenna) should get involved. Indeed, Cabinet has the authority, on the advice of the minister of Heritage, to provide a directive to the NCC if it “is of the opinion that it is in the public interest to do so.”