I don’t want the Minister to be quick to criticize my committee for sitting on this for five months. It’s been a year and these guys have not come up with a plan on the balance of that fund. I’d like to ask the Minister if the decision to lend the $34 million last year changed the way the federal government looks at the fund, now wanting us to book that whole entire fund as debt. I’d like to ask that question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak today about the disposition of the Opportunities Fund, a fund Members will recall was used to give out a $34 million loan just over a year ago to Discovery Air. In talking about the decision to lend that money I don’t want to relive that whole debate today, but Discovery Air did make some commitments to this government that I believe need to be followed up on.

First, they were to relocate their head office from London, Ontario, to Yellowknife, which I understand is in the works. How come it took over a year for that to happen? Does the move include the...

Again, I just wanted to state again for the record, I am not opposed to the partnerships and I don’t want the Minister to think that I am opposed. However, I think the department needs to learn something. This partnership that we got into with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, they never had the required equity. They still don’t have the required equity. It’s cost us as a government nothing but headaches and money, Mr. Chairman. Again, we have to be very careful when it comes to getting into partnerships with folks who don’t have the equity and can’t deliver on the project at the end of the day...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have just a few opening comments on the Department of Transportation. I guess I just want to start off by saying this whole thing with the Deh Cho Bridge, Mr. Minister, is not something that is easy for us to be talking about, easy for myself to be talking about. I have the utmost respect for the Minister and the department. However, we are in this situation. I would expect if the Minister or any of his Cabinet colleagues were on this side of the House and the project was in the status that it’s in, I would expect them to be asking the exact same questions I am...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 18, 2010, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that the appointments to standing committees of the following Members be revoked: Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Member for Hay River South, to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure; Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Member for Hay River South, to the Standing Committee on Government Operations; Mr. David Krutko, Member for Mackenzie Delta, to the Standing Committee on Social Programs; Mr. Jackie Jacobson...

I’d like to ask the Minister what the government’s plans are in the immediate future for the remainder of that Opportunities Fund. If we’re not making any money from the Opportunities Fund and we’re actually paying an administration fee of 7 percent, what are we doing here? Why don’t we just give the money back if it’s going to be booked against our debt?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That company is also familiar with the fact that the Government of the Northwest Territories today is up against the wall. They know we’re in trouble with this project. We’re negotiating from a bad, bad position. Again, I’ve talked to people. This is unprecedented for a government in Canada to go to a sole-sourced contract on a bridge like this. Unprecedented. I’d like to ask the Minister who exactly makes up this new project management team. I’d like to know that.

The next question I have for the Minister, and we’ve talked about March 1st being an important date, I want to get back to some of the earlier questions I had on why the superstructure didn’t go to tender. People I’ve talked to in the industry and other companies that are out there in western Canada that could have bid on this work tell me that they could have had numbers into this government inside of 30 days.

I’d like to ask the Minister again, how come the project, the superstructure, the second half of this project did not go to a tender?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the Minister on this. I really think that, like I said, we owe it to the public, we owe it to the Members of this House. The project is in such a mess that I think we’ve got to look for a win where we can get it. I think we could have gotten a win, given the current economic climate in western Canada and getting other companies out there to bid on this project, so I disagree with the Minister on that.

I’d like to finally ask the Minister, what is he negotiating this contract with this one company on when, you know, I haven’t heard that the...

Mr. Speaker, the industry folks I’ve talked to say that it’s unprecedented in this country for a project of this size to be negotiated with one company. In fact, I know our time is limited but, Mr. Speaker, it would appear to me that the other thing that’s unlimited is our ability to spend money.

Mr. Speaker, I think we’ve spent enough on this project. I think the Minister and this government should duly and rightfully go to the marketplace and get the best price for the remainder of the work on the Deh Cho Bridge Project. I don’t care if it takes six months. I don’t care if it takes a year. If...