Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My example of the plow truck is only one of many that I could bring up in this House. My next question is for the Minister of ITI responsible for BIP manufacturing and BIP.
My question is: With communication that we’ve had before these tenders for the plow truck went out, about the concern, about the value-added in the Northwest Territories, how can the Department of ITI improve this system? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We can improve the system by working with the manufacturers here in the Northwest Territories. I mentioned earlier, we were in Hay River recently, and just last week we had another meeting here in Yellowknife. We have to enable manufacturers to know what the process is to get items registered so that they can be included as items that are manufactured in the North, and we fully intend on continuing to work with manufacturers here in the Northwest Territories so that situations like the Member outlined for us earlier don’t happen again. Thank you.
I guess my frustration with this process is five days after the Department of ITI and several departments came to Hay River a tender was issued for the manufacturing of fire pits and it had to meet a southern manufacturer’s standard. Why couldn’t those fire pits be manufactured in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
I want to thank the Member for his intervention in that, and I believe those are being manufactured in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
As I indicated, there are many examples. I’m just wondering what the Department of ITI is doing to collaborate with all the departments to buy products and services to make sure that we’re supporting northern manufacturers?
We’re doing what we can and working with the other departments. PWS, Transportation and a number of other folks were involved in the meetings we had both in Hay River and here in Yellowknife. There is also now a Northern Manufacturing Association that’s going to be developed. They’re going to prove to be a single voice for manufacturers here in the Northwest Territories, and we believe that’s going to be a good conduit to working with government to ensure that products that are manufactured here in the Northwest Territories are purchased by our government here in the Northwest Territories, benefitting the economy here in the NWT. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m wondering if the Minister can indicate to me who in his department will be watching to make sure that departments are not tendering out for manufactured items, and making sure that items that can be built in the North will be built in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
That would be at the highest level: assistant deputy minister, deputy minister. They would be the ones I would count on in ensuring we are following policy, that goods that are manufactured here in the Northwest Territories are on the list and that we are continuing to work with manufacturers here in the NWT. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Bromley.
