Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to the contract and lease arrangements with this government, we have a variety of organizations, the Metis Development Corporation, DDC, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Dogrib Development Corporation, so there is a large range of aboriginal development corporations out there. They have money to invest in the Northwest Territories, but I think when it comes to realizing the amount of time, effort and energy they put into developing proposals or looking at investments, they seem to get the feeling that they have to develop their proposals two times as thick as the next guy, because that is the amount of information that is being asked for. They are being put in the position that they put a lot of energy and effort in developing these things, then at the end of the day, being told there was no opportunity for them to look at it.
In regard to the Laing Building or the Stuart Hodgson Building, they had the ability to look for partners in that arrangement, but now are being told, sorry folks, the opportunity that you have, this is what it is now. The terms have changed. Before you were looking at the possibility of buying it, renovating it, then leasing it back. That is out of the picture. The only option you have now is to purchase the Laing Building and you are not allowed to lease it for a number of years, which is going to be a caveat put against it. The scenarios change so drastically, that it makes you wonder exactly how committed are we to aboriginal development corporations in the Northwest Territories, especially from this department.
I think because of the situation that we find ourselves in now in Yellowknife because of office space and everything else, I think it puts a real dim light on the aboriginal organizations to seriously look at the potential of investing in Yellowknife because of the way they have been treated in this latest scenario from the Lahm Ridge deal to where we are going now in regard to the Laing Building. Where before it was feasible, it was practical, it was something they could invest in knowing they would be able to make a business venture out of it which was fair and practical. Where they could have put money up front and made an investment and knowing it was a safe investment. Why is there such a discrepancy between these groups and the other development real estate agents, in the way this government deals with them?