Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Public Works and Services. The Minister has fielded a tremendous amount of questions with respect to the Keewatin resupply, so I can barely think of any more questions that have not been asked.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to, just for a moment, articulate a concern that I have and ask the Minister to respond to it. Mr. Speaker, this government has constantly maintained that it can no longer be the engine that drives the northern economy. Given this, Mr. Speaker, we have a company, like Northern Transportation Company Limited, who are northern owned and operated. They are a territorial, corporate model citizen, recipient of aboriginal employment award, and I believe they deserve the utmost in consideration and respect by this government.
When they initially started out it was a Crown corporation purchased by two aboriginal development groups. They were given a designation of carrier of choice, in order to assist them in getting started and I believe that their accomplishments have been major. If anybody has stepped on board an NTCL tug lately, or walked into an NTCL office, they would have been met by people who are beneficiary shareholders in that company.
Mr. Speaker, having said that, I would like to receive assurances from the Minister that he has given consideration to the far reaching ramifications of any disruption to the existing provision of services of this corporate northern client. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.