Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I speak in favour of this motion. I note in the motion that the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre is asking for the policy to be provided to the standing committees of the Assembly so we can see them. Yesterday, in response to a written request that I had asked on negotiated contracts and sole source contract policy, it was explained in the written response from the honourable Don Morin, Premier, which was tabled in this House and in the Hansard from yesterday, that there is no sole source contracts policy. Sole source contracts are governed by the government contract and regulations of the Financial Administration Act.

The reason why I am supporting this motion, Mr. Speaker, is because it is governed under the FAA, a lot of times that seems to be circumvented and maybe not because of duplicitous reasons but because the Financial Administration Act is large and maybe is not being followed by the different government departments. I think that by having a policy, we will be able to look at and monitor this policy. In the book that Mr. Ootes spoke about earlier today, where all the tendered, negotiated and sole source contracts are now listed, listed as such, it has been evident that about 47 percent of all contracts issued by this government are either sole sourced or negotiated. Mr. Speaker, that is a number that is too high and we do not know as a government in these tough fiscal times what is the premium that we are paying as a government for going to sole sourced and negotiated.

After saying that, Mr. Speaker, I am not saying that I am not in favour of all negotiated contracts. If a health board falls tomorrow and you have to negotiate a contract, I have no problem with that. There are certain instances. But sometimes it would seem, Mr. Speaker, that this government over the past x-number of months has been using the sole source and negotiated contracts as a way of potential, and Mr. Speaker, the word I will use is potential, for favouritism. Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that this policy and now the motion following on our motion of May 13th of last year and Mr. Ootes' motion of today will hopefully bring some conclusion and some direction by this government to this policy and thus I will be voting and supporting this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause