Glen Abernethy

Madam Chair, we are a public government so we can’t actually black list contractors. In many cases, in problems that exist, the GNWT is not always a party to contractual agreements between general contractors and their subs. A lot of the times, issues are coming to me about subs and the issues that a primary contractor may be having with some of their subs. These subs are contracted to the person we’re contracted with. Our relationship is with the contractor, not with the subs.

The GNWT procurement policies and contract regulations do not permit the government to actually black list...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With me on my left is Paul Guy, deputy minister of Public Works and Services; and on my right, the director of Technology Service Centre, Laurie Gault.

Madam Chair, we do general contract reports. It is not always a public document, but I’m happy to share the information on individual projects with committee, at the appropriate time, on a requested basis.

I am pleased to present the Department of Public Works and Services’ main estimates for the fiscal year 2013-14.

The department’s main estimates propose an operations expenditure budget of $104.5 million for 2013-14, an increase of 11.5 percent over the 2012-13 Main Estimates. This increase can be primarily attributed to the following activities:

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one-time funding for the demolition of the Sir Alexander Mackenzie School and Samuel Hearne Secondary School in Inuvik; and

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ongoing funding for the transfer of responsibility and funding for the administration of Health and Social Services leased...

In proposals, the company that submits a proposal indicates the companies that they intend to work with, the work that they plan to have those individual companies doing. We have contracting staff and Public Works and Services staff – sorry; this was a tender – in the community who is reviewing their compliance with the contract that was signed. The contract makes specific reference to the individual local companies and NWT companies that they will be utilizing for services.

By way of example, on this particular project, 50 workers in Inuvik were enrolled in the training course arranged by the...

Thank you. I remember as a kid, going to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre here in Yellowknife, they had a lot of fantastic displays, and one of the displays actually had a significant amount of RCMP history and memorabilia. I believe that display is now gone, but I would be happy to talk to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to see about bringing those materials back together and creating a display that maybe could go to different museums throughout the Northwest Territories.

We do have a number of facilities that may be able to show a display like this, but I’d also...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Obviously, we’d like the work, as much as possible, to stay in the North, but the NWT is a signatory to the Agreement on Internal Trade, which is a national binding agreement. A key component of the AIT is non-discrimination which establishes equal treatment for all Canadian persons, goods, services and investments. Further, with respect to the GNWT Procurement Policy, demands that the GNWT, in its commercial dealings, observe the highest standards. It must stand the test of public scrutiny in matters of prudence and probity, facilitate access, enhance supplies access...

Work is happening. I don’t believe it’s gone as far as the Member would like it to go. I would like to see it further along, as well, but given that we’re moving forward with shared procurement, we’ve had to make sure that everything’s going to line up and we need to get the shared procurement down and in place before we change too many other things.

The greening policies, the green procurement I think is important. I think the Member has made a significant number of comments about it and the value of it, so we will move forward on it. I will commit to having something for the Member to look at...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a clarification question. There are two things happening here. There was the ESA which was done originally, which was intended to identify the items in the building so that we could actually get a proper price and that people who were bidding on contracts for the teardown could be informed. Is the Member talking about that contract or is he talking about the contract that was awarded based on the information which… The first one, okay. To Mr. Guy, please.

Thanks, and I’ll go to the deputy for some more specifics, but at the end of the day we require our contractors to have a bond in place for their subcontractors and our contract is with the primary. The project that we’re getting is from the primary, and our dealings and our negotiations are with the primary. Their contracts are separate, independent legal documents between them and another party and it would be inappropriate for us to interfere with a separate legal contract between two other parties. We want to make sure that everybody is protected in the process. We make sure that the bonds...