"Transparency is always a word that's been batted about, but last week when we called a break in a meeting, I had the understanding that we would have an opportunity to meet with business people up in the gallery and bankers and so forth," said Ootes on Monday.

"When we got in here, (the Great Hall) nobody was in sight, including the minister. They were up in the meeting room upstairs. Some of the members tried to get access and they were told no, it was private meeting.

"In turn, I went up there myself and I was blocked by one of the minister's staff and one of the consultants he had hired. That really bothered me."

Ootes wanted a chance to talk with the bankers and businessmen about the $200-million public-private partnership Todd announced a week or so earlier.

Ootes said even though he supports the so-called P3 program, he has concerns about the function of the partnership and what it entails.

"It was a perfect opportunity to hob-nob together, but we were not offered that opportunity," said Ootes.

"As I understand it, one of the bankers here locally was excluded. He didn't know about this meeting and yet they're the ones that are going to have to institute this program down the road."

Ootes hopes that before the P3 program is put in place, they should establish a task force to look at all the implications, provide guidelines and then set up an implementation committee made up of representatives from industry, unions, bankers and government officials.

Ootes was not the only MLA who took exception to the incident last week.

Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger said ordinary MLAs waited downstairs, drinking soft drinks and eating crackers, while Todd and a select few nibbled on shrimp and smoked char upstairs.

Miltenberger went on to discuss transparency in government and said the only transparency they saw at the P3 meeting was through a glass window.

Kivallivik MLA Kevin O'Brien also brought up the incident during a committee of the whole session Monday afternoon at which Todd answered questions about his budget address.

O'Brien's concerns were met with an apology from Todd.

Todd said the private meeting with the bankers was organized to see if the businessmen and bankers were interested in the "P3" fund. He didn't mean to leave people out.

"It was an error in judgment on my part," said Todd. "I hope my apology would be suffice to close the discussion on the banker's issue."