Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since this government, without any notice or consultation with the Members from this side of this House, unilaterally decided to suspend the BIP policy on the construction of the new jail in Yellowknife, we have been inundated with phone calls and letters from an outraged public. The general consensus is that this decision seems to have been a simple knee-jerk reaction to a very complex problem, which will not do much to address the cost overrun, but add many more serious problems in the process.
Mr. Speaker, I want to make it very clear that this government must avoid further damage and embarrassment, reverse this decision immediately and work with the industry representatives to find better ways out of this situation.
Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to understand what the rationale of this decision is. I have to wonder what kind of debate Cabinet went through when making this decision. I wonder if Cabinet really thought about the wide implications of this decision. Have they thought about the damage and the message they are sending, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Speaker, this government, from the Premier on down, has spent the last number of years convincing mega resource companies that they must engage in northern hiring and northern purchasing because it has been saying it is good for the North and we want to maximize the benefits that resource development will give to our people. The companies have agreed to do impact benefit agreements on this basis even though, Mr. Speaker, in many cases, this drives the cost of doing business in the North.
They have had little choice but to comply with the government's position, but apparently, this is not the principle the government has to live under. With this BIP flip-flop, how can this government expect to have any legitimacy anymore to take this position, Mr. Speaker? How can it have the moral ground to ask for this from the industry after this decision?
Mr. Speaker, we are all aware that the economy is on a high and there are not as many bidders on some of these contracts, but these times come in between very lean times. We know this is how our economy works. It has a lot of ups and downs and we should not lose sight of that. Our northern contractors maintain their businesses and keep their employees in the North through these lean times while waiting for the boom times. Could the government not come up with better ways to deal with this situation other than exempting themselves?