Sandy Lee on Question 210-15(4): Using Northern Construction Firms

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my Member's statement today, I would like to pose my questions to the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I made a statement about the fact that there are a lot of small businesses and northern businesses who go through the ups and downs of running a business in the North, where everything is high. But they stick around, they pay their taxes, they employ our people, they train our people, in the hopes of taking advantage of an economic boom. One of the things that's going to happen when the pipeline comes is that there's going to be a real potential for building houses. The Minister of Housing is not only not looking at the North, but he won't even meet with people who come to tell him about a proposal. Could I ask the Minister why he refuses to meet with northern contractors who could possibly do the job? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.