Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to speak again today about the Deh Cho Bridge Project. We’re at a stage in this project where every decision we make has the possibility of costing this government more money. If we can turn a corner and start making some right decisions perhaps we might even be able to save some money on this project.
The bridge will get built across the Mackenzie River. That will happen and I agree that it should happen. However, I will continue to question decisions made on the management of this project because of the impact they have on the public purse here in the Northwest Territories.
I’m not sure who gave the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and the Minister of Transportation the right to simply give out contracts on this project. As I’ve said before, as a public government we have a duty and an obligation to get the best price possible for the remaining work on this bridge. The Deh Cho Bridge Corporation has ordered the steel for the superstructure which could be utilized by company A, B or C. It wouldn’t matter as long as the contractor of record took on those orders. So again, why no public tender on the remaining work? What exactly is being negotiated and by whom?
The Minister was quoted recently as saying the Department of Transportation is now calling the shots on the project. So if they’re calling the shots, they should be ready to answer questions about the project. Now that the former project management team has been replaced, who exactly is representing the interests of the Government of the Northwest Territories and taxpayers here in the Northwest Territories?
The bottom line is other companies have been shut out of a competitive bidding process for the remaining work on the Deh Cho Bridge Project and this is just not acceptable. The government has no right to simply hand out contracts to whomever they want, especially when it could potentially cost us money.
I’ve heard that the former contractor, ATCON, who had a fixed price contract of $165 million, was not bonded to perform that work in the Northwest Territories, which makes me wonder whether this new contractor the government is intent on getting into bed with can be bonded for the remaining work to be done. On a project like the Deh Cho Bridge, any other government would require bonding.
It is not my intent to get in the way of this bridge being built. It is my job to hold those making decisions accountable and responsible for those decisions. Given the current disposition of this project, the Minister of Transportation and Cabinet can count on me asking many more questions every step of the way.
