Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to request for a recorded vote. Thank you.

Recorded vote

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to request a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank all of the honourable Members of this Assembly for their hard work and dedication to finding that common ground that has produced a stronger mandate than we initially started with. One of the hallmarks of our governing system is that we put aside our political differences and come together as a Caucus and work collaboratively and constructively. That does not mean we disagree, but it means the diversity of our opinions gives us a stronger basis to draw upon and make better decisions for our people.

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The Minister has revealed some information that I said this morning in my Member’s statement, and has failed to answer the question why the standing committee’s concerns and recommendations are not being addressed. I would like to ask the Minister how this program that is currently housed in sport and recreation is supporting volunteerism in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope I get as good answers as our last round of questions. The funding for the NGO Stabilization Fund has not increased in the last seven years. It is also oversubscribed by about three-quarters of $1 million. During the same time period, the NWT inflation rate has increased by an average of about 2 per cent per year. Will the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs commit to working with their Cabinet colleagues to put additional funding to support NGOs into this fund, and support NGOs in delivering services and their core functions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government’s spending is approximately equivalent to 52 per cent of our GDP. That’s $3.854 billion. This compares to, let’s take a province in Canada: Ontario, our largest. Their government spending amounts to 20 per cent of GDP, so clearly our government has a huge role in this economy. A lot of that comes out of procurement of these contracts. I’d like to ask the Minister of Infrastructure if he will once again commit to a comprehensive review of our procurement policies on this very important economic driver. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s experience and his response on that. I also appreciate that he’s talking about procurement again. Maybe there is a need to look at this. Will the Minister look at procurement including any proposed reforms through the process of the manufacturing strategy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the update from the Minister. What kind of timeline are we looking at before a draft strategy can be presented to the House? We can get some sense of where this work is ending up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister. I’ll gladly share that. The Canadian Senate is also considering a bill, the Canada Prompt Payment Act that would apply to construction contracts and P3 projects in particular. These P3 contracts the federal government enters into, its institutions, agencies, and related subcontracts. We are now pursuing P3 projects from everything from the Stanton Hospital to the Tli Cho all-season road. P3s are becoming part of how we do business. Is the Minister aware of any prompt payment clauses in those P3 projects that ensure our northern businesses are...