Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of MACA. It has to do with an issue that was brought up in the House on March 1st, with Mr. Bromley and the Minister, an exchange of the Norman Wells land sale, land base. The comments I’ve read and the exchange that I’ve read, it was pretty brutal and the people of Norman Wells we’re pretty well taken back and very hurt about this deal and they really are hurt about the comments made in this House.
I want to make it clear to the Minister here, when this deal was going through and this history of this deal, did MACA exclude the interests of the Town of Norman Wells in this land deal?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Norman Wells Land Corporation identified a piece of Commissioner’s land that they were interested in. They approached MACA and made application. They were hereby approved for it, and I assure the Member, as I did the other Member, that all the proper processes were followed. The municipal government in Norman Wells had some concerns with it. I met with them personally. The deputy has met with them and the lands people have met with them. They’ve expressed their concern. But at the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, the Norman Wells Land Corp followed all the processes as it’s laid out in acquiring Commissioner’s land; therefore, we entered into a deal with them. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, again, reading the comments it seemed like something shady was happening and I take offence to that, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister is an honourable man whose department is a good department and that they follow policies and practices. I know it takes a lot of good work there. I was appalled by the comments here. I want to ask the Minister, did we, as the government, violate our own policies, as a comment was made that we violated our own policies and put together a secret deal that saw a benefit to a corporation that had their own interests in this land here.
Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. We followed all policy as it’s laid out in the acquisition of Commissioner’s land. Thank you.
Again, as I read further into the comments, I don’t know what to make of it. I want to ask the Minister, in this transaction that happened between the Norman Wells issue here, the Land Corporation and MACA, when the Minister is taking a look at it will he do a review to satisfy some people out there that we did follow policy, all transactions happened in a fair manner and that this deal here is one that should never be questioned again to the extent that I saw in the Hansard?
Mr. Speaker, we have had discussions with municipal government on a number of occasions laying out the process that we use and the process that was followed. Having said that, I really see no need for a review of this situation and how the deal went down. There will still be opportunities for input because there are still some conditions that they have to meet in the next little while, so there will still be opportunity for input. I am sure the community government would be prepared for that and take up every opportunity they can to voice their displeasure on how this transaction went down. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within the transactions of this deal here, did the Town of Norman Wells have opportunities throughout the application process or the interest of the process of this deal? Did they have opportunities to voice their interests? Did MACA note their interest? However, as it has been stated in the exchange, they weren’t taken very seriously. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Norman Wells Land Corporation made application for the property and we entered into an agreement with them. The Town has had opportunities to voice their concerns with the deal. They have done so on a number of occasions. I pointed out to the Member before, I had personally met with council and my senior officials have met with council, so they have had ample opportunity to voice their concerns on the deal that was made with the Norman Wells Land Corporation on acquiring the Commissioner’s Land. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
