Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'll definitely say anything that helps small business is certainly a good step. But, Mr. Speaker, there is a concern out there that this dropping of the BIP may be steamrolled and consultation may be just for formality. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to point out a couple of things. The Minister's tabled documents in this House have pointed out that Health and Social Services sole sources 77 percent of their contracts. A letter from Minister Miltenberger, which I tabled in this House, pointed out that 92 percent of their business at Stanton Territorial Hospital goes...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During AOC committee’s pre-budget consultation last year, an issue came up across the NWT and it was the need for more relevant programming in schools for our northern students. This includes northern aboriginal language, culture, land claim agreements, traditional skills and history of the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, this only makes sense that our youth be taught, in a coordinated way, our culture, history and current events of the North that they live in. Learning about southern Canada and other parts of the globe is very important too, Mr. Speaker, but it should not take such...
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I won’t have a question, but I do have a clarification. I’m speaking about when we lend public money and I think public money follows a different rule than private money. I appreciate that the Minister distinguishes that we use some of the public money to leverage private money, but I still think that because it’s the government’s money, it’s the people’s money. We can still play by our rule, which is the disclosure rule. We may not see eye to eye and then again we may never see eye to eye on that point, but it’s how I feel and I feel that it’s very important in...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister mentioned or alluded to the fact that it’s an historical problem. I would like to hear that the Minister is working to put this in writing, so we can make sure at least a fair premium is charged in recognition of where we are in comparison to where Antwerp is. The diamond mines are on our doorstep, Mr. Speaker, yet they cost more. I would like to hear what the options are that the Minister is going to look at if the diamond mine that we are talking about doesn’t step up to the plate and supply diamonds at a fair and reasonable price to our...
Mr. Speaker, I asked my question to the Minister of ITI. I said Arslanian Cutting Works spoke to the Ministers of ITI and Finance, but my question was directed to the Minister of ITI. They can do whatever they want with it. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the diamond cutting and polishing industry which provides 155 jobs here in the NWT. By the government’s estimates, the current cutting and polishing facilities contribute $9 million to the GNWT’s GDP. When they are in full production, it will be $20 million some day.
In order to attract and support value added industry, this government, in the past, created an MOU with the diamond mines to supply rough. However, the system is not working, Mr. Speaker, as it was originally envisioned. I have been told by one Yellowknife company that runs...
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My comments will be around sort of the global perspective at this time. I’m personally concerned about focus. I’ve brought up, on a number of times, my personal concern that the Housing Corporation has an information systems program to do housing maintenance. I’ve said a number of times, for example, that this is the type of program that could be bought off the shelf at a large computer store. I’ve raised this concern a number of times because I’m concerned that we’re worried about inputting data and whatnot into programs when we should be handing our employees...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of ITI could let me know what is the problem of possibly just calling up the president of that particular diamond mine that we are referring to and asking what the problem is. We shouldn’t be choking our local diamond mines with the facts that you can buy diamonds in Antwerp cheaper than you can buy 300 kilometres north. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister look at placing a phone call so we can giddy-up on this problem and make sure we solve it quicker, rather than later? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the owners of Arslanian Diamonds were in town last week and they had a chance to meet with the Ministers of ITI and Finance. My question for the Minister of Finance is now that they have seen the number and the proof that this company can buy diamonds from Antwerp cheaper than they can buy them 300 kilometres north of Yellowknife, what is the Minister planning to specifically do with this challenge? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To further emphasize my point, and I do appreciate how the Minister was very forthcoming on this information, because I believe it was a lot of work to put it together, but under Stanton Territorial Hospital authority, northern suppliers supplied $156,000. In comparison, southern suppliers supplied $1.75 million. That means northern suppliers supplied eight percent at the Stanton Territorial Hospital.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services, under the sole source contracting ledger here, made up 43.6 percent as a government as a whole for sole source...