Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Next on the list is Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Moses, do you have a further question?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a number of comments, and they’re not in any particular order. I mentioned some of them in my statement today. I want to say off the top to the Minister and to the House, and I mentioned it in my statement, that I support and I did support and I do support the fiscal strategy that we have put in place, at least for the first two years and presumably for the next two years as we finish this Assembly.

I mentioned the electricity subsidy in my statement, so I don’t need to mention it again. But we need to look ahead to what we’re going to do when we come to the end...

Thanks to the Minister. I’m happy to provide that information to the Minister so we can discuss this a little more fully. I totally agree with the Minister that it’s a grey area and I think it’s one that we need to look into.

I want to ask the Minister, my understanding of the rationale for BIP is that it is to encourage local businesses to keep business locally, I guess. For instance, an NGO that has responded to an RFP and is running a service is employing people within the community, they are keeping dollars within the community, their employees are spending dollars in the community. I see...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment as the Minister responsible for our BIP policy, Business Incentive Policy.

I have been advised by a constituent about a difficulty encountered with them and the BIP policy. It had to do with a request for proposal, an RFP, that was let by the government – Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority actually – and it’s for an RFP which has previously often been handled by an NGO. But NGOs, according to the BIP policy, are not eligible to register as a business, so I’d like to ask the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too, like my colleague, have had a chance to consider the budget address from the Minister of Finance, and I also would like to comment on the government’s plans for our next budget.

I have always agreed with the fiscal strategy we adopted at the beginning of the 17th Assembly. We have been prudent and, as the Minister said last week, we need to live within the means that we have. A stay-the-course budget it is and I am okay with that, but I am not totally satisfied with the proposed use of the dollars that we have.

On a happy note, I am pleased that the budget...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I will take him up on his commitment.

I would like to ask him at this point – there is at least one RFP out there that I’m aware of that an NGO is applying – if he would be able to, in looking into this situation which he said he will do, will he agree to hold off the awarding of any tenders for any RFPs that are out there where we have NGOs competing against a business until we clarify this area?

Thank you to the Minister for that very fulsome answer. I appreciate that NGOs are not like a business. However, NGOs provide a service which very often is an extension of our government health services or our social services. An NGO is providing a service for the government. It’s unlikely that most NGOs would have a business arm. I will just leave it at that.

I’d like to know from the Minister, in terms of an NGO providing a service versus a private business providing a service, does he consider that in comparing an NGO application for an RFP and the business application for an RFP that they...

The Minister’s address mentioned slow revenue growth several times, but my thoughts on that will be left for another time.

I look forward to discussing the budget in detail in the coming weeks. There will be lots of questions from this side of the House. I eagerly anticipate the answers from the other side. Thank you.

I want to thank the Minister for his commitment. I’m glad that he agrees with me that 48 hours is too long for a call.

In looking into it, I guess I’d like to know from the Minister – certainly this was a situation here in Yellowknife but it could apply to other offices throughout the territory – will he ensure that in looking at the situation, he doesn’t just look at one office but that he looks at all offices under his jurisdiction as the Transportation Minister.