Jane Groenewegen

I’m interested to know what the Premier thinks I’m looking for. He was only elected as the Premier a short few months ago, and I was certainly on the record in telling him that I did support him. I still support him. I don’t see a lot of other options sitting over there for Premier. I’d like to work with him. I’m being honest here. I’d like to work with him.

But the fact of the matter is that we need transparency. And I believe the Premier…. You know, as I said, you can’t sweep these things under the carpet. I believe the Premier knew full well what we were looking for that day, and he didn’t...

Now we’re talking about the 16th Assembly. On October 19, the Premier stated:

“The contracts that are being signed are not from the Government of the Northwest Territories; they are through the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation group as well as potential constructors of the bridge…we know that there’s a commitment to start some of the early earthwork process. But ultimately no contracts or, from our government side, no liability is being held until we know, for example, they get the permits from the federal government….”

I mean, that’s pretty clear — no contracts, no liability. And that was on October...

Let’s talk about what’s happened in this Assembly. We got elected on October 1. We came back here and stood up in this House and asked question after question after question about the Deh Cho Bridge project. The Premier stood up and answered those questions, and not once did he mention the fact that the concession agreement had already been signed on September 28.

I don’t know exactly how stupid he thinks we are. However, I want to tell you that I wouldn’t even have asked him the questions if I had known a concession agreement had been signed on September 28.

Yeah, let’s talk about the 16th...

Mr. Chairman, I would like to move a motion that we report progress.

Motion carried.

Mr. Speaker, because the Premier so freely said that this information was known to the 15th Assembly, I’d like to ask him if he’s willing to produce any proof that Members of this House knew all these facts which are now just coming out. I mean, I’m finding out stuff every day on the Deh Cho Bridge project that I didn’t know before.

I’d like to now ask the Premier if he will lay some proof on the table that Regular Members of this House were aware of what was going on. We didn’t even know the concession agreement was going to be signed on September 28. That is out there.

Mr. Chairman, I move that $540,000 be deleted from the Interim Appropriation Detail booklet amount set out in schedule 2, Capital Investment Expenditures, item No. 5, Justice, on page 6, for the project North Slave Adult Facility Perimeter Security in North Slave, Young Offenders Perimeter Security Service Entrance.

So in fact, we are co-signing the loan with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and indemnifying the corporation with the lenders, which is kind of a fancy way, a different way, of saying that in fact our government is backstopping. We are the guarantors of the loan should something go wrong.

If that is the case, then, we are way out on a limb on this project. I need the people to understand. I need the public to understand where we’re at on that.

So will the Premier please confirm that when he says we are there as a government to indemnify the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation if the loan is defaulted on...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to follow up on Mr. Ramsay’s questions with regard to the $135 million target for reductions in government expenditures over the next two years.

Mr. Speaker, there is concern out there, and I do believe that much of it is premised on a lack of information. I’d like to ask the Premier today…. We have committees that will be looking at strategic initiatives as reinvestments. We are, as a Regular Members’ caucus, looking at strategic reductions. There are many ideas that are coming out with the help of the public service, who are submitting suggestions to us as well.

I’d like...

Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that we report progress.

Motion carried.

Mr. Chairman, the committee today wishes to consider Bill 1, Interim Appropriation Act, 2008-2009. The Minister has provided his opening comments, and we would like to proceed with general comments. Thank you.