Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that a recent contract to build a duplex in Inuvik was awarded to a company that is not on the BIP registry. I'll be questioning the Minister of Housing as to why this happened; how does a local contractor in my riding lose out on work to a nonBIPed company?
Mr. Speaker, a longtime local Inuvik BIPed business that detailed all the northern business it would use, things like hiring local suppliers and contractors and fully adhering to the BIP policy, a policy meant to give Northern businesses a preference and to keep money in the North, Mr. Speaker, so it was shocking to hear that the Housing Corporation gave a nonBIPed business the same preference as a local longtime business, Mr. Speaker, that did not do the same.
The BIPed policy was to give northern businesses a 20 percent advantage for hiring locals as much as possible. In this instant, Mr. Speaker, businesses in my riding lost out on an opportunity for work by just 4 percent, Mr. Speaker, which in dollar amounts is just around $65,000, to a nonBIPed business, who for some reason got that same preference as a BIPed business. Today I will be asking when the Housing Corporation is going to support local businesses and ensure that the BIP policy is being followed, Mr. Speaker.
The BIP policy needs to be followed, or we should just tell our contractors now that they don't need to live here. They don't need to pay taxes here. They don't need to provide jobs and contribute to the economy here and that they can just move south and come up, bring their workers, bid on jobs, because there's no preference for businesses actually operating and living here. And if that's the case, that's not the government that I want to be part of, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
