I would like to direct my questions to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, I find it kind of odd that communities I represent, the whole capital expenditures extends to about $2.5 million and half of that is the formula funding we give to our communities for infrastructure projects. Most of that is housing. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we are in the neighbourhood of the riding the Premier represents and you’re talking about $70 million of capital expenditures. We have high unemployment in our communities. Forty-five percent unemployment is unheard of in my riding. The issue I have with this government is do we realistically look at the policies and procedures we have as government that would benefit communities, build capacity and make sure the dollars we spend as government for capital dollars stay in those communities. I’d like to ask the Premier why we are not following our policies and procedures when it comes to community capacity and negotiated contracts, sole-sourced contracts or local tenders so that they’re tendered locally in those communities.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
We do follow our policies. Thank you.
I believe they had followed policies, that’s why I have 45 percent unemployment in my riding, which I never had three years ago, but under the regime of this government, it has forced companies to leave my riding and go to operate out of Yellowknife and get work in the southern region because they can’t get work in their home communities. I’d like to ask the Premier if it’s fair that all the contractors doing work in my riding are coming from Inuvik who are getting $70 million of capital expenditures in that community and yet my communities are going hungry because of unemployment rates at 45 percent.
When we put the facts on the table, for example Mackenzie Valley Construction in the region, in the Department of Transportation it accounts for almost 70 percent of the contract values both negotiated, public tenders, the whole process. So that comparison is difficult to do. On top of that, when we have large construction projects, that requires a certain level of commitment by the contractors to be able to build on that. We follow the policies there as well. I think the comparison of the Inuvik constituency versus the Aklavik or Mackenzie Delta constituency, the Member well knows that the schools in Inuvik have been on the books since 1995 and have been authorized by this Assembly to go forward in construction.
I also think we should note that a $100 million contract was let through a negotiated contract for the school in Inuvik. A hundred million dollars yet I can’t get a goddamned house built in my riding for $300,000.
The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
