Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Written Question asked by the Member for Frame Lake on March 16, 2020, regarding contracts for work related to Slave Geological Province Corridor.
The Member asked for details of all the contracts entered into by the Government of the Northwest Territories for work related to the Slave Geological Province Corridor from September 1, 2015, to present, indicating whether any of the contractors were or are registered under the Business Incentive Policy. The Member also asked about future actions planned to maximize northern employment, training, and business opportunities in future contracts related to the Slave Geological Province Corridor.
Mr. Speaker, in response to the Member's first two questions, later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the detailed list of the contracts entered into by the Government of the Northwest Territories for work related to the Slave Geological Province Corridor project, including whether the contractors were or are registered under the Business Incentive Policy.
Regarding the Member's third question, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to maximizing northern business and labour wherever possible, and that commitment remains especially important as we look to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 across the territory.
Through the public procurement process, the Government of the Northwest Territories supports Northwest Territories and local content through the application of the Business Incentive Policy. Through the Mandate of Government of the Northwest Territories, we have committed to reviewing and strengthening our procurement policies and practices.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring benefits flow to NWT residents and businesses through the ongoing work to develop the Slave Geological Province Corridor will be an important consideration as we advance the project. The construction and operations of the Corridor will provide training, employment, and business opportunities for Indigenous, local and Northwest Territories residents and businesses.
It will be several years before this project acquires the necessary regulatory permits and is able to proceed to construction. In the meantime, the Government of the Northwest Territories will be undertaking numerous studies, completing other planning work required to advance the project, and holding public community engagement sessions to ensure that Northwest Territories residents and businesses can receive maximum benefit from this project. Throughout the planning and environmental review processes, steps will be taken to ensure that GNWT contracting processes are followed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
