Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to make some more references to yesterday’s budget address. It’s very great to see that we have big projects that are committed to from the 17th Legislative Assembly, and that’s the Inuvik-Tuk highway as well as the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link and working forward into those two big projects. It’s something that I’ve strongly supported and continue to support throughout this government and to see this process through.
However, one thing that I want to take caution with is that when these projects, should they get approved and go through the process, that this government actually looks at working with our Aboriginal and northern companies to ensure the work gets done, and that the economy and dollars do stay in the North, and provide jobs to our northern contractors and northern sub-contractors.
Since I’ve been in this position, about 15 months now, I’ve written letters of support for some of our Aboriginal northern companies. We have lost some contracts that were not negotiated. I would not like to see with big infrastructure projects like this, even though it’s a great thing for my region and the territory as a whole – and Canada as a whole connecting sea-to-sea-to-sea sovereignty, all the off-shore drilling – that when the dollars are brought forth, they stay in the North, they provide jobs for our northern workers, our northern companies, and that they do not go south to southern contractors.
Like I said, since I’ve been here, I’ve written letters for three Aboriginal northern companies who have all been overlooked, and I don’t want to see that happen for a fourth time, especially with big projects like this. I think that the Ministers that are appropriate for the departments that I’ve written letters for, need to be held accountable and need to work with Members on this side so that when we bring a letter forward to government asking for our northern companies to work that they do get the jobs and contracts.
I will have some questions later for the Minister of ITI on the Business Incentive Policy. I commend the work of this government and the 17th Legislative Assembly for these two big projects, the Inuvik fibre optic link and the Inuvik-Tuk highway.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
