Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure regarding the Inuvik Airport.
When I hear the Minister say that the delay at this point is around funding, I find myself quite confused considering the announcement of $150 million was made in 2019. Can the Minister speak to why the conversation about funding, particularly when we would be breaking this project up into phases and different work packages, would be waiting as of now two years three years later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a number of factors in the cost overruns. I mean, you know, we have looked at this project and negotiated with the contractor, and we need to do a little more work on some of the costing and some of the difference phases. So that's probably all I can say about this project at this time in terms of some of the cost overruns. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification, you can't have an overrun if you haven't started the project yet. So I think calling it an "overrun" is not a legit way to phrase it.
So now I hear that the Minister needs to meet with the contractor, or the JV, to get these answers, yet it's my understanding that their proposal was submitted to the department on February 7th. It's now March 31st. So I'm kind of confused if this is a timesensitive winter work that needs to be done, why the Minister hasn't directed her department to meet with the JV and the contractors sooner than now. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department and the JV have been meeting. They started the work in January. So some of the packages on number 1 has started. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the department met with the JV since February 7th when their proposal was submitted? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. And actually there's another meeting today. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm now super confused because I have people from the JV telling me that they have not met with the Minister and her department and that, in fact, the Minister is not allowing there to be a trilateral meeting between the DND, the contractor, and the GNWT.
Can the Minister explain why her department thinks it's necessary to keep the contractors away from the Department of National Defence? To me, I talk often about the game of telephone where messages get mixed and scrambled. Perhaps that's the problem that's going on here. Can the Minister speak to when that threeway party will meeting will happen? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been meeting. There's been discussions happening at different phases since February, since before then when the executive council approved the joint venture contract. So we are still having ongoing discussions and, you know, we will continue to proceed. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
