I would like to repeat the same answer I gave before that significant oversight goes into these contracts. It’s just not one that they woke up this morning and decided they’re going to award a sole-source contract today. There are requirements that need to be met. If they meet the criteria, then sole-source contract could possibly be awarded.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, in the Members’ statement, she makes some very strong comments and used very strong language. I think it’s unfair to those within the government system that administer a lot of these contracts to hear such language. I can assure the Member and all Members that there is oversight and in this day and age, with all the checks and balances in place, that type of, if any of that type of activity went on, it would be detected quite early and it would be unacceptable. There is oversight. The sole-source negotiated contract was the change in the...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Minister’s comment is absolutely correct. The $250,000 that the Member speaks of, the numbers in here, the overall budget for the department won’t change, and the Minister has made a commitment, and I think we made a written commitment to reinstate that $250,000, and they will find the money, as the Minister explained, in some other areas of the department. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. You know, there will be more interest in a lot of these procurement processes because the amounts are available, but again it was encouragement we got from the business community. BIP would still apply to these, and I can assure the Member and all Members that we take all steps necessary to ensure that our northern-based businesses have a fair opportunity and a good opportunity to secure these contracts.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is we produce those every year and I will make a commitment to the Member that we will share those. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure exactly what stage they’re at. Through the committee that I had spoken of earlier, they do provide some advice and recommendation to Canada on their clean-up activities. What I can commit to the Member is that I will have some discussion with this particular committee and see where they are with their discussions with Canada and see if there’s been any kind of a price tag attached to the potential clean-up of the sites around Great Bear Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a change that has just been made recently and I will commit to the Member and all Members that we’ll monitor the usage of these sole-source contracts. Again, as I answered to the Member previous, this was an initiative that was fully supported by a lot of the small business community and a lot of business and we were actually encouraged to consider because there hasn’t been a change, I believe, since 1993. I will make the commitment to monitor and we do have to file a contract report $5,000 and under. I think the Minister of ITI tables that, so we...

Mr. Speaker, when they’re going out for a sole-source contract, the policy states that if it was something that we had to do right away, then we would go to a sole-source contract. In the smaller communities, this is one that’s well-received because the price for goods in a lot of smaller communities is $5,000 and once it was raised to $25,000, that gave them an opportunity to be able to land some of this work and not have to go to a public process or a tendering process, which for $5,000 is a lot of work and a lot of administration. I can assure the Member that a lot of due diligence goes...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to recognize a couple of constituents of Inuvik Twin Lakes. Dave Reid, who’s a long-time educator in the Beaufort Delta and knows a lot of people about Sonny’s age and…

---Laughter

And Mr. Nick Saturnino who coached the junior girls curling team the last number of years and they’ve done very well in the national scene. Appreciate the work they do and welcome to the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled “Accountability Framework for NWT Community Governments 2014-2015 Annual Report” and the “2015 Annual Report of the Fire Marshall.” Thank you, Speaker.