Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my statement, I am quite concerned with the implementation of the Business Incentive Policy and the northern manufacturing policy. My question today is for the Minister of ITI and it concerns that BIP and northern manufacturing policy.
How are the departments trained in the implementation of the Business Incentive Policy and northern manufacturing policy?
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s a very specific question and I would suppose that training of staff at the departmental level would take place through the deputy ministers’ committees, I would suppose, and that information would filter down to the departments. There undoubtedly are training sessions that are conducted by the BIP folks at ITI with the various departments. That’s how I would see the training of departmental staff taking place. I can get a further detailed response for the Member, if he wishes. Thank you.
I’m looking forward to that information. My next question is concerning, as my colleague for Hay River South had indicated yesterday, we’ve had some businesses that have been trying to talk to some of the different departments about the services they provide. This may be something the Minister may need to get information on, as well, but how are the different departments informed of the new products and services that companies in the Northwest Territories are added to the Business Incentive Policy listing, I guess?
If a company does avail themselves of new equipment that would enhance the services that they could provide, I think that would be part of the salesmanship of the company to get out to both government and private sector to ensure that people know what type of equipment they have and what services they can provide. The Government of the Northwest Territories certainly wants to be a partner with northern businesses and ensure that opportunities are maximized to the greatest extent possible when we do look at procurement here in the Northwest Territories.
Another area of concern that some of the businesses in my riding of Hay River expressed is the bundling of packages. The departments may have a larger project that includes everything. When they’re building a road, they may include the signage. They may have an engineering contract that includes the drilling. My question to the Minister is: How does the Business Incentive Policy extend to subcontractors that are working for the companies that have the actual contract with the GNWT?
This is a very important point to make here. I think some of the recent changes that we have seen with BIP is how those design-build RFPs are evaluated. I share the Member’s concern, that oftentimes the local subcontractors don’t get the work and the work goes someplace else. I think we’ve done a great deal of work, working with the Construction Association here in the Northwest Territories and other stakeholders, to ensure that we come up with an evaluation criteria that is going to allow the maximum extent possible of local and northern content so that those dollars stay in the North and continue to work to benefit our economy here in the Northwest Territories, not somebody else’s economy. I appreciate the Member’s concerns that we are putting our best efforts to looking at that. I know Public Works and Services has done a good job on that as well. Going forward, the evaluation criteria are something that we are going to address in a serious way.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s comments. My next question is along those lines. How do we encourage the different departments to break down those contracts? Like I had indicated in my Member’s statement, I am concerned that at this level we’re having difficulties getting maximization from northern businesses. When we get into larger projects, how are we going to deal with that? How can we encourage the GNWT and departments to break down these contracts to maximize the northern businesses?
I think, in answer to the previous question, a step in the right direction is the evaluation and the criteria to get the government to evaluate RFPs and a waiting system that is going to give more weight to proposals that maximize northern content. That would include subcontractors, engineering services, whatever the case may be. I think, going forward, that is an area that we certainly have to pay attention to as a government. We again need to maximize those benefits to local businesses and northern businesses here in the NWT, not south of our border and in other places. That’s something that I’m intent on pursuing. I know this government is very interested in maximizing the dollars that stay in the North.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
