David Ramsay

As long as we’re not using that new vehicle the Minister talks about by putting a couple of crash test dummies in and smashing it against the wall.

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister why the government continues its reluctance to move toward a one window model to provide support, loans and programming to businesses for economic development in our territory.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to address the Minister of ITI’s statement from yesterday when he announced the arrival of the new Support to Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy, or SEED, which officially came into effect on September 2 of this year. He stated that it was in response to a major review of the department’s business programs, which was completed in 2006.

I would like to thank the Minister for acknowledging the work of the EDI committee. We were consulted and have allowed the policy to move forward. But what I want to tell you today is what the Minister...

Again, I’m just having a little bit of trouble understanding how you can award a contract that hasn’t been approved by the House. Anyway, I guess it’s just a funny thing when you’re negotiating what would appear…. I mean, nobody has yet told me what exactly it’s going to cost. There have been numbers thrown around, anywhere between $120 million and $140 million.

If I could, I’d just provide a recommendation, if you will. This is a project for which we need to expedite the process; we need to find out exactly what we’re building and put a cap on it before it grows in cost any more than it...

I’m just having a little bit of trouble understanding, then, because earlier today, I believe, the Minister said that a contract was signed. Specifically, what are they signing? Obviously, it sounds like the negotiations are still ongoing; there hasn’t been approval. When does the approval of the Members of this House come into play? I know we approved some dollars last year, but they’re carried over, and that project still hasn’t proceeded. So what are we signing? Is it a blank cheque?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just had a couple of questions, and they get back to the planning process and how things are signed off.

When we look at negotiated contracts.... There was a bit of an exchange earlier today. I just wanted, I guess, to get some clarity on where in the process a negotiated contract is signed off, when exactly that happens. Maybe the Minister could help me out a little bit.

On a negotiated contract when in the process does that get signed? I’m asking, because earlier today a Minister said that a contract was signed. But if it hasn’t been approved by us, what contract are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure reviewed Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Workers’ Compensation Act. The bill proposes to amend the Workers’ Compensation Act to permit the Minister to appoint the chairperson of the governance council to a term not exceeding three years. It also proposes to permit the Minister to reappoint that person as long as the reappointment does not result in a period of consecutive service exceeding six years. The committee wishes to recommend that this bill not be proceeded with.

I want to ask the Minister if he knows how many businesses have been created or started up in the small communities. I’m speaking specifically of communities outside regional centres. How many of those have received business start-up funding in the past ten years, and how many are still in existence? Can the Minister commit to getting us that level of detail?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today getting back to my Member’s statement from earlier to the Minister of ITI. Earlier I was talking about the new SEED program and how, in my estimation, it’s the old BDF and Grants to Small Business dressed up under a new name called SEED, topped up with some dollars.

The first question I have for the Minister is: has ITI got any targets for the SEED program, and how are we going to measure success from that program and that additional funding?

Was that amount approved by this House, or was that amount approved by Cabinet?

What was agreed to last year in terms of capital dollars for the school in Inuvik? Again, I’m not saying we shouldn’t be building a school or anything like that — I don’t want to upset anybody — but how much is that school going to cost us today, and are we still negotiating how much it’s going to cost us? I think that’s a legitimate question. I’d be asking the same question if that school was being built in Yellowknife; trust me.