Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the goals of the Sahtu region has to look at the financial stability that will stimulate the Sahtu economy in our region and develop the resources. Mr. Speaker, I had a chance to look at the negotiated contracts that the government produces every year and I looked over them for the last three years. These documents tell a very sad story, Mr. Speaker. We need to do better in my region.

For example, in 2009-2010, I see a $23 million negotiated contract with a local firm in Fort Smith to renovate the health centre. I also saw a $6.8 million negotiated contract for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, you have a captive audience at these centres here. Ninety percent of them being in there are because of alcohol and drug abuse. It is very simple and very plain. Can this Minister look at a drug and alcohol treatment program at the centre while they are there? There is one in Nats'ejee K'eh. I know that. But while you have them there, go through a program, for God’s sake. It is so simple, yet you wonder why people are coming back. They are not dealing with those drug and alcohol issues outside. You have them there. Let them deal with it. Certainly it will help...

Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of the inmates are in our institution because of the use of alcohol and drugs. It does not make sense for us leaders around here, 90 percent of the funding that the program should say that we need an alcohol and drug program at the North Slave or one of the other institutions to look at this issue here, the root cause. Does it not make logical reasoning to put this? Again, would the Minister look at, consider it, having a drug and alcohol treatment program? You have a captive audience already there. Let them look at these issues that brought them into the institution...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the negotiated contracts, like I said, benefit the local people. It builds capacity and helps the local economy. I’m all for that. I want to ask the Minister, when the negotiated contracts are in place, the work has been done, the work has been carried out, does the Minister receive a reporting list of all the benefits that this contract has provided to the local community and the region?

Certainly I agree with the principles of the Negotiated Contracts Policy. Actually it’s a pretty good piece of work. I want to ask, to help out more in the Sahtu in terms of having this government do a workshop with the regional superintendents -- they’re the ones that sort of implement the policy, they’re the ones that take care of the policies -- to look at the policy of negotiated contracts with themselves and see how they can help the Sahtu businesses. I certainly think DPW has done a good job in terms of awarding the 84 percent of the contracts to the Sahtu businesses. This is awarded, I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every year a grandmother, mother and sister or an auntie is nominated for the efforts and dedication as a role model and demonstrated wisdom amongst their community and people around them. This award is recognized as the Wise Women Award, which is distributed by the Status of Women Council. I am proud to acknowledge Ms. Allison Dejong from Tulita for her hard work and excellent performance as the wise woman for the Sahtu region.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I start over again?

Mr. Speaker, my point is that you have a captured audience already. They are sitting there. A lot of them are saying that they are not doing too much. They are twiddling their thumbs. They can’t get into programs. Programs are once a year. You have a program down in Nats'ejee K'eh in Hay River that is for other use. Can the Minister look at a pilot project, say one here in Hay River or here in Yellowknife, to look at doing a drug and alcohol-specific six-week program for the inmates? It will help them so they won’t come back into the centres. Can the Minister look at that to see if this is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There was a letter that was addressed to MLA David Ramsay on the 17th of February from Minister Lafferty in terms of programming for the offenders correctional institutions. In the News/North, a judge noted the need to address the root causes of the criminal activities and also noted in the letter here that the Minister has said that 90 percent of inmates have issues related to the use of alcohol, for the abuse of alcohol and drugs. Is the Minister’s department looking at some kind of a treatment program at our correctional institutes to address the 90 percent of...

I certainly agree with the Negotiated Contracts Policy and principles. I believe that the regional superintendents through the ITI shop, hopefully they will again have another follow-up workshop to look at the negotiated contracts.

I want to ask the Minister in terms of two examples here: a negotiated contract that was awarded here in Yellowknife and one that was awarded in the Beaufort-Delta. Certainly we have competitive businesses that were available in the region or in the city here. How did that process happen? Now he’s telling me the same thing in the Sahtu. What’s the answer as to how do...