Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance responsible for the procurement review.
When you look at schedule 3 of the Business Incentive Policy, there's a number of southern companies that have been grandfathered. I think it would be fair to frame this list as a number of monopolies that we seem to be dedicated to building up. There are three versions of Northwestel; there's Bellanca Developments; three versions of Northern Properties, all of which have been bought and sold many times; three versions of Northmart; and, 13 specified Northern Stores, some of which don't exist anymore, and most notoriously Walmart Canada.
So my question for the Minister responsible for this procurement review is when are we going to remove this list of grandfathered southern businesses from our Business Incentive Policy? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the definition of a northern business is subject to the review. There have been a lot of inputs on that. I would note I think it might well be the very same Member who had previously suggested that the definition of "northern business" should speak to the number of employees in the riding and that might make it interesting to determine whether or not Walmart should be removed or not. But when we are complete the definition, which will happen in the life of this government, we will then be in a position to update schedules according to BIP because we'll be in a position to say, again, whether or not sorry, Madam Speaker, we'll be in a position to identify who should be on the list and who falls within the definition. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I recognize that but what we've done is actually we've specified a list, and on it are a number of companies that don't exist anymore. A number of numbered companies, I have no idea what those numbered corporations are. It's really I get there's a way to define the policy and whether or not Walmart falls in it is up to, you know, probably the way we write the policy and the business incentive review committee. I don't understand why we are keeping this schedule of a list of companies, many of which are outdated and many of which have no absolutely are not warranted to be BIPed anymore. I think they have long since left any sort of employees in the North. So is the plan to get rid of this schedule method where we list a number of corporations, some of which don't exist anymore? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I type quickly but not enough to pull up schedule 3 in the space of time that the question was being posed. So it's not appropriate for me to be committing to what will or will not look like the final schedules when the final definition of a northern business is complete. What I can say, Madam Speaker, is I think there's a fairly reasonable possibility that there is an update to various company names and corporations, corporate documents, and that may be the explanation.
That doesn't change the bigger picture of what is the definition of a northern business, how does BIP get applied to that definition, and to ensure that it's clear so we don't wind up with multiple schedules that get year to year updated. That's not effective, and that's certainly I take that point, and I agree with that point. That's the direction we're going to and the definition for "northern business" is being worked on right now. Once that's done, the schedules will align with that or, frankly, maybe go away. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.
