Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a concern about that because this, as far as I am concerned, is an emergency situation in Fort McPherson and another reason to hold up the project. For myself, knowing that the subcontractor for this particular contract is Dowland, which is an Inuvik-based company in the region, who is going to be doing the majority of the work installing these tanks in the treatment facility.
So it kind of boggles my mind that you are scared to bend the rules, but you are there, as a Minister, to ensure that your department moves as smoothly as it can that it does not continue to stall projects because they either did not like the wording in the agreement or somebody forgot to dot the 'i's and cross the 't's. How detailed do you have to get as a department before you give some leverage, knowing that there is short season to get these tanks, which have to be barged in from Hay River, and then be installed.
It is July and we are talking about a barging season that concludes in September. So you have two and a half months to try to go back out for another tendering process.
That is my concern. As a Member, this project directly affects me. We have to, as a government, the Premier and Cabinet, make it clear in this House that this is a priority of this government, and yet another stumbling block that has been put in the way of this project.
So, as the Minister, I would like to ask again, why is it that you could not take into consideration, knowing as a personal matter that NTCL is a northern aboriginal corporation, that the subcontractor is northern BIP type, in regards to Dowland out of Inuvik, as a regional operation? Myself, as a Member, I caught wind of this through a telephone call I got from NTCL. There was no consultation whatsoever with myself.
So I would like to ask the Minister again, as the Minister, you are responsible to ensure that the activities within this government are being carried out in a timely manner, that we do not continue to put roadblocks up by disallowing contracts on the basis that someone forgot a particular aspect. For some reason or another, they did not fill in the application for BIP. Will the Minister tell me when does he have the ability to move on specific things or are his hands tied so that he cannot do anything?