Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Fred Carmichael, a Canada recipient and, more importantly, the president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council. Our presidents, they don’t fade away, we just keep making them work a little harder; that’s all after they leave office. And also Miki O’Kane, I would like to congratulate you also for the hard work you do in the Inuvik region and, more importantly, for the people in the Mackenzie Delta/Beaufort Sea. Also Margo McLeod in regards to the recommendation in regards to being inducted into the Education Hall of Fame. Mahsi and thank you for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last number of days I’ve received several phone calls and e-mails from local contractors in my riding who feel there is a total disadvantage regarding the contracting practices of this Government of the Northwest Territories. Especially the housing corporation when it comes to housing…(inaudible)…in local communities.

What I’m talking about are the advantages of large regional contractors to be able to supply, ship and erect contracts in the communities by way of having the purchase power, the means of moving the materials into the communities, and very little...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, May 20, 2010, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories calls on the Government of Canada to fully reinstate the funding previously provided to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation; and further, that the Speaker formally transmit this motion and the content of our proceedings today to the federal Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs for his consideration and action. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, in regards to the contracting processes that I would like to ask the Minister, I know I mentioned negotiating contractors in my statement but also I have supported negotiating contracts for projects in McPherson and Aklavik which were submitted to the regional office which I gave to the Minister. It was supposed to go to Cabinet in April. I would like to ask the Minister what is the status of those contracts. Again, that is another avenue that has to be used but again we are not hearing anything back from Cabinet on that. I would like to get an update from the Minister. Why is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are in regards to my Member’s statement, but also this issue I have raised in the last setting of this Legislature but it looks like nothing has been done with it. Again, these contracts that are being let in our communities are not being taken advantage of by local contractors. If anything, it is benefitting the regional contractors who have an opportunity because the way the contracts are being let, which are basically supply, ship and erect contracts, are an advantage to the larger regional contractors in regards to having to bid in multiple contracts...

Again, in regard to the opportunities for communities to take advantage of these tendering processes but ensuring that the benefits are derived in the communities where these capital dollars are expended and the capital investment is being made.

Again, we have high pockets of unemployment in most of our smaller communities exceeding over 45 to 50 percent unemployment, not compared to 23 or 24 percent in the larger regional centres. I think this government has to seriously take a look at this issue, go back to the drawing board and take a look at your contracting policies and procedures and the...

I’d like to ask, are there any other facilities that are falling in this category for infrastructure? Because I think that foundation problem can be pretty expensive. Are there other of these types of projects coming forward in regard to foundation problems in the Inuvik region?

So, Mr. Chair, from what I’m hearing from the Minister, if the Gwich’in wanted to have all their health boards and that in the Gwich’in Settlement Region operate independently, they can go right on and do it and come under a different system and follow what they do in Hay River without having to follow the rules we expect every health board to. So basically we’re endorsing independent boards to operate independently from the system by not doing anything.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am not asking questions in spite. I want to make sure that we are trying to be fiscally responsible. We realize we are probably going to have a tough year next year. I want to make sure that we monitor these programs going forward. I think that it is important to get this information hopefully by the time we conclude this. I would just like to ensure that we are on budget and we are trying to control the expenditures on these projects and we don’t have them run away from us like the Deh Cho Bridge.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Following up on similar questioning, I would just like to ask if there are any legal ramifications from doing this by way of being a separate health board. I think that, if anything, you know, we talk about taking all our mental health, alcohol and drug workers and bringing them into the government so that everybody’s treated fairly and everything else, so you don’t have the disparity between one group over the other. So I’m just wondering, is there a legal hold-up to doing this or is there the possibility of a legal challenge, or is it just that we don’t want to do it...