Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my question to the Minister is, on these office renovations, how many of these contracts were actually negotiated, and how many were tendered to carry out said renovations?

Yes, thank you. Is Mr. Picco referring to the renovations, lease-hold improvements to the office facilities? Is that what Mr. Picco is alluding to?

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I was talking about the Special Warrant issued on June 15, 1996, which was approved to carry over funds from the 1995/96 fiscal year to the 1996/97 fiscal year, to complete capital projects worth $1,485,000.

Yes. The office renovations were negotiated were the

Sweetgrass Centre in Fort Smith, the office building in Lutselk'e, the office building in Hay River Reserve.

They would be publicly tendered according to the notes I have here.

Would it be safe to assume then, to the Minister, that some of these contracts have not been let?

Some of these contracts are probably under review right now. Some are let, and a variety of them are being tendered. I specifically responded to the negotiated ones, and there are one or two that still have not been let, so they are either out for tender, or decision pending. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the concern here would be that in some cases, this government goes out to negotiate a lease, and then does office improvements or tenant improvements and upgrades a said building, we could spend two or three hundred thousand dollars on that, on a negotiated lease, and it could be seen as a form of political grafting, as it were. My concern here is that would be the perception. My question to the Minister is, is there any way that we could tighten up this said form of negotiated leases for tenant improvements.

Thank you Mr. Picco. Mr. Todd.

I am only going to say it once. I said it to the Honourable Member in Committee, and I am going to say it now publicly. I resent the implication of his comments about graft. I want to ask him to take it back now before I respond to the question.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my word was exactly...I knew what I was saying. I did phrase it so that it would be politically correct. I said there could be a perception. The point of the matter here, is that this Government does have negotiated leases. Negotiated leases under the guidelines of this Government is that if it has the approval, for example of the community, if it has the approval of the MLA. What I am saying here, Mr. Chairman, is in this case, or any case, if it has the approval of me, I am the MLA in a community, and the community, we want to renovate a building, we lease it for one year for $100,000, and spend $300,000 on that building. It could be a friend of mine. It could be a company of one of my relatives. Who knows what is. Just because it has my permission, does not mean it makes it right. What I am trying to say here is, these guidelines need to be tightened up, so that the perception is not there. That is not an inaccurate statement. That is a fact. I am asking, is there anything that this Government is looking at, so that we can change these leases, so that the perception is not there in the community?

Thank you Mr. Chairman. On a point of order. The Honourable Member from Iqaluit is misleading this House, and as well the public of the Northwest Territories with the previous comments he made. Basically saying that a community can negotiate a lease with the community commitment and an MLA's sanction, if it is a relative or a cousin or a personal friend. I believe that he has the responsibility as a Member to state facts in this House, and truths. He knows that the government does not negotiate contracts on those type of conditions alone. We have fairly stringent guidelines that we follow for negotiated contracts. Mr. Chairman, I would like you to rule on that point of order, that the Member is misleading the public, as well as the Members of this House.