David Ramsay

I just want to let the Member know, and other Members know, that we haven’t signed off on the royalty rate, we haven’t signed off on land tenure. Those are discussions that continue to be ongoing with the Inuvialuit, and we hope to conclude those discussions and negotiations with them very soon.

We haven’t got a formal funding agreement with the federal government in place yet. At the earliest opportunity – I just signed a letter late last week – we’re going to be in front of the Member’s Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure as soon as possible to give his committee a full briefing on the project and next steps.

Once the Member brings forward the details of the situation, I would certainly be more than happy to talk to whichever department the award would be awarded through and have a discussion about next steps.

I wouldn’t want to hazard a guess, not knowing the particulars in the situation the Member talks about, but if the Member would like to divulge – she doesn’t have to do it here today – the situation, if it is an NGO bidding against a registered BIP business here in the Northwest Territories then the NGO not getting BIP status, there’s a reason, and I mentioned the reason why, the NGO wouldn’t receive BIP status to compete with a registered BIP business here in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to, maybe, get the Member to provide us some further details and we can look into this situation.

I appreciate the Member’s concerns; however, I don’t share those concerns. I believe we can move forward with an Economic Opportunities Strategy that’s going to benefit every region across the Northwest Territories and find new ways for us to grow the economy, especially in the smaller communities, and that’s what we’re going to start out to do. Thank you.

We have a number of folks involved in the Economic Opportunities Strategy, including the Northern Aboriginal Business Association, the NWT Chamber of Commerce, the NWT Association of Communities. We have an expert panel that’s set up, as well as the department. We’re not setting out to conduct this Economic Opportunities Strategy without talking to people. We’ve been out to a number of communities already. We’re looking for feedback from residents around the Northwest Territories.

I know the Member mentioned big business in his opening statement. This isn’t all about big business, Mr. Speaker...

Through the Inuvialuit settlement, the land claim agreement that the Inuvialuit have, they have provisions for granular royalties paid to the Inuvialuit. That is something that is in the land claim. That is something that we continue to look at negotiating, both the royalty rate and the land tenure for the highway itself. Those discussions continue to be ongoing.

Through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and I know the Department of Transportation will be involved, we are certainly looking forward to some nicer weather, perhaps in June, to celebrate the opening of the Deh Cho Bridge and turn it into a more proactive tourism event to draw people there. I think the bridge in and of itself is a tourist attraction. Anybody that’s ever driven across the ice at Fort Providence or taken the Merv Hardie, who’s lived in the Northwest Territories and has done that, they’re going to want to come back and see the Deh Cho Bridge. Certainly...

Thank you. For employees that were affected by the discontinuation of service of the Merv Hardie, I’m certain that department officials were working with those employees. But again, for the specifics on what was offered to employees, that is something and a level of information that I don’t have with me today, but I’d certainly be more than happy to get that for the Member. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, at the Department of Transportation we’re looking for ways to work with communities, to work with industries. We have a track record of doing that. Certainly, if there are some economies of scale and an opportunity to work with the community of Fort Liard to get some work done, that’s something that we’ll certainly take under consideration. Thank you.