Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as many of you are aware, the Cameron Hills in my riding is being developed. The communities who have little in the way of employment and other prospects have anticipated development and welcome the opportunities that arise from it. However, with every opportunity, there arises problems. The Cameron Hills development is no different.
Mr. Speaker, companies in my constituency continually raise concerns about the way this project is being handled. The one having the most impact is the issue of companies having to wait up to nine months or longer for payment of services. This way of doing business may sit well with our southern neighbours, but what it does to our small businesses in the North may force them to close their doors, or face possible bankruptcy.
Mr. Speaker, what percentage of work has been provided to northern contractors? What percentage of that work not delivered by northern contractors could have been? Are those southern companies working across our border meeting all of our requirements for doing business in the NWT? Do they have a business license? Do they have WCB coverage? Are their vehicles and equipment registered in the North? Are these southern developers required to submit reports setting out how many Northerners are employed and how many companies were utilized? If reports are submitted, who are they submitted to? The federal government or this government? Does the federal government share any of the reports submitted by the producers with the Government of the Northwest Territories?
Mr. Speaker, what I am asking is who in this government is responsible for monitoring the companies developing our resources? Who in this government is looking out for the small businesses that are being forced to carry the short-term debt for larger, southern developers?
Mr. Speaker, it is important that this government support our businesses in the Northwest Territories. It is those businesses that are more willing to employ other Northerners and share the work being undertaken. As a government, we must ensure that these businesses have the information required to effectively and efficiently compete for contracts. We must understand that our northern businesses are new to much of this development and cannot meet with southern developers on a daily basis as enjoyed by the southern contractor. What our northern businesses have access to is information sessions and reliance on limited RWED business staff conveying information received from these southern developers.