Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the North is a pretty incredible community. When someone starts a new business, we show up and don't mind waiting to be one of the first to support a new venture. We love telling people about our experience and sharing encouraging words as our neighbours settle into entrepreneurship, and we love doing this because of the impact business brings to our community. While fulfilling their career goals, businesses step up when a sports team needs support, contribute to residents experiencing loss, and bring life to our communities.
But I wonder, Mr. Speaker, if all public servants who make procurement decisions realize the immense impact that they have on the business community. Not only procurement shared services but also public servants from every department can procure services less than $10,000 and goods less than $25,000 directly from vendors through informal quotes. It is the responsibility of each department to take reasonable steps to obtain the best value possible, operate within GNWT policies, comply with the business incentive policy, the northern manufacturers policy, and the Financial Administration Act, and be able to demonstrate that all reasonable steps were taken to obtain the best value possible. But ultimately, they choose where GNWT dollars go. So many public servants have the ability to make it possible for local businesses to continue to exist, expand, and support our communities, but it starts with the bread and butter, or GNWT dollars, needed to keep that business rolling.
A quarter of GNWT dollars are going to nonNWT businesses. This equates to $95 million of bread and butter leaving the Northwest Territories. Don't get me wrong, I know not every dollar will stay in the Northwest Territories, but I get phone calls from NWT businesses that are asked for informal quotes. They offer to provide similar goods for similar price points and then learn the department opted to hit “buy now” online. Sometimes it's because they wanted a different colour or were married to a different brand or have just always used that southern vendor. But what seems like an insignificant southern purchase are dollars that would have made a difference to small business. When you click “buy now” online, you take sport away from kids, you reduce business to capacity to grow in the North and job creation and, the truly devastating result, make NWT businesses ask if running their business North of 60, or just over the border with lower operating costs, is a way to go.
Mr. Speaker, I hope public servants listening hear me today. Your procurement dollars, no matter how small to your department's budget, matter to northern business owners and matter to your community's health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
