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Mr. Louis Bard: That is exactly correct. There was a long-term plan that was delayed for several years. At that time, we had started noticing a number of defects in the House of Commons. The Speaker and the clerk were very concerned about the many problems caused by the poor audio system in the House, and the related technical problems. Consequently, we had to speed up the renovation work in the House. However, as regards all of the decisions made about the Centre Block, much of the equipment and technology can be used elsewhere. So we took the portable equipment, not the equipment that must be there permanently, in case we had to relocate the House. This was really a necessity, not a luxury. We took advantage of last year's modernization report which seemed to recommend, among other things, rewiring of the House, to do this work at the same time. The fact that we had the modernization report in June really gave us an opportunity. Since we had the work done during the summer, we were able to wire the members' desks as well by September. We may never have such an opportunity again. I was very proud to have received an order in June and been able to deliver everything by September. It was really a unique opportunity that may never happen again.
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