The Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, unless I know the specific project the honourable Member is talking about, then I could answer him pertaining to these specific cases there may be out there. Generally speaking, the department issues tenders to the public as soon as they can, early in the year. The majority of the contracts I am aware of are done in this manner. Maybe there are some circumstances that arise throughout the summer, where projects may be awarded later on, and these are special cases. Generally speaking, the department is going out and trying to put these projects out as early in the building season as possible. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Antoine.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Public Works and Services deals with different projects that are put forward from client departments. It could be Health and Social Services or RWED or Education, Culture and Employment. In the case of Housing which the access unit come under, they do their own project management themselves. In this particular case, the access housing the honourable Member is talking about, is out of the Department of Public Works hands. I believe it is under the Housing Minister. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. I did not hear a question and I will remind the Members to limit their preambles in their supplementaries. Oral questions, Mrs. Groenewegen.

The Minister of Finance, Mr. Todd.

I do not quite understand the preamble of my honourable colleague. She makes some reference to some things I said, I do not remember saying anything that she indicated I did. Let us clear that up, first of all. Secondly, I really was looking at this economic strategy as a return on investment. What is it going to cost us to get the kind of return we want? In this strategy when we lay it out to you, and it is not quite ready yet, but when we lay it out to you, we will demonstrate, clearly demonstrate. Some people will look beyond tomorrow, but what we are building is a case for the future. What we are building is a case for more money to enable us to do the kinds of things our constituents expect us to do. Sometimes you have to spend money on the front end to ensure at the end of the day you get more money on the back end.

If my honourable colleague would be just a little patient, I think we will be able to demonstrate in the coming weeks, that the investment we are putting in on the front end, will bring us significant return on the back end, when we explain it in detail to the Caucus, to the public at large and by the way, to the groups I have been speaking to over the last three or four months. Just let me, if I may, for the moment, explain who I have been talking to. I spoke to a number of aboriginal leaders, Ms. Cournoyea, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Gaudet, Mr. Hagen, Chamber of Mines, Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, Interim Commissioner, et cetera. During the summer, when I was actively, discussing these things, we did in fact look for public input into where we were going. The net effect of what we are trying to do is get a return on investment now for future generations. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you. Mr. Todd.

I had not anticipated an amount of money at the time. What I was looking for was a proposal that would bring us about the kind of ammunition or substantiation, if you want, for the overall strategy we have in relationship to our federal fiscal relationship with the federal government. I do not know the actual cost of this thing to date. I think it is somewhere in the $300,000 to $500,000 mark. I can get that from my colleague.

It is important to point out in a serious vein that the intent here is to develop the case to be able to show to the federal government we need a new fiscal relationship, to provide us some incentive to garnish more revenues, to get into the non-renewable resource tax window, to support the initiative of my honourable colleague Mr. Antoine in his desire to build roads to resources, to support my honourable colleague, Mr. Kakfwi, to get more EDA money and to support the overall objectives of this House. That is to find more money to deliver to our constituents the kind of services they have come to expect. That is what this initiative is all about. As I said, if my honourable colleague will be patient for awhile, I think we will be able to demonstrate and substantiate this money is a wise investment for the future. Thank you.

Oral questions. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Todd.

This initiative came about based on previous discussions with Miss Stewart and Mr. Martin, a year or a year and a half ago. Mr. Martin said to me at the time, you balance the budget, you get two new formula agreements and we will look at a new fiscal relationship once those two issues are dealt within the Northwest Territories. That is what this is about. What I do not know today is whether or not we budgeted, how much we budgeted for that particular part of the strategy. The part that we are dealing with Mr. Bailey and Associates is only one small part of the strategy. I will get that number from my colleague and advise her accordingly. I just do not have it.

Thank you. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Todd.

I was not involved in the evaluation of the contracts. That is the role of the administration. This honourable colleague talked many times that you want to avoid political interference in many of the activities taking place in this House. This decision on this contract is made by the administration. I will get the figure that my honourable colleague wants and present it to her in the House if she wants. I will get it. It is not that I do not want to give it, Mr. Speaker. I do not have it.