Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member’s statement today, I was concerned about this process, about the new found love for sole sourcing, or as the sleight of hand may call it, a negotiated contract.
Mr. Speaker, my concern is strictly about the process and not about who’s getting it. Although there seems to be an undertone trying to describe it as that’s the issue, and by no means it is. Mr. Speaker, I, too, speak in favour of the virtues cited about training skilled development, local employment and Aboriginal involvement, so you won’t hear me speak against that. It’s the process. Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, here this is the issue. What’s stopping the McLeod government for allowing Highway No. 7 to go out for an RFP that recognizes all these great virtues that we talked? That’s directed to the Minister of Transportation.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, it’s Highway No. 4, not 7, and secondly, Mr. Speaker, I know the Member, for having been a Member of this House for the past eight years, I would think that he would know the difference between a sole-sourced contract and a negotiated contract.
Mr. Speaker, if he’s going back in Hansard, I challenge him to find one example of where I stood up as a Member of this House and said one thing negative about a negotiated contract with an Aboriginal company in this territory. I challenge him to find that, Mr. Speaker.
Clearly, we can see how thin skinned the Minister is by turning it into an issue like that. As I said to start off, my issue, quite frankly, is the process, but if it hurts his feelings, I mean, I can rephrase my question.
I have to actually admit I liked his quote, and that will be my question, which is it’s not about the competency or the fair price, but his question was: How can we guarantee these things without going through an RFP process? Mr. Speaker, that is the question.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Before we go on, Members, I want to make sure that we are here for a reason. It is to represent the people. We have the question and answer. Respect one another. In regard to your little shots that you are taking here, I am not liking it right now. Keep it in order. Mr. Ramsay, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with you on the respectful dialogue that has to happen in this House, but if the Member is in one statement he uses terms like “sleight of hand, little respect for taxpayers, embarrassment, insult, shameful, back door, dismal and cannibal,” that makes it very difficult to have a respectful dialogue with a Member that is conducting himself like that.
Let’s just stick to the issue. The issue is we are negotiating a contract with Det’on Cho Corporation, the business arm of the Yellowknives Dene and Chief Drygeese territory.
Mr. Speaker, I take very seriously the allegations that we are insulting the public’s intelligence, that we are doing things nefariously. Mr. Speaker, we are not. We are being as transparent and open as we possibly can with Members of this House. Thank you.
