Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It's my pleasure to rise two days in a row to introduce a constituent and my niece Ms. Marina Menicoche, up there in the gallery.

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As well, there are two Pages from Fort Simpson that gave us some really good work this week. I'd like to recognize them. Mr. Teyan Menicoche, who is Marina's son, and Alex Elleze. Mahsi cho.

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Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would also like to recognize and thank the Pages from Hay River South that helped us in the Chamber this week. They are Tanya Maher and Brieanne Glaicar and they both did a great job and it was a pleasure to have them here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I thought I would rest this topic of the novel idea of the Novel housing, but I just need to get this chance to explain for those who didn't have the benefit of my reply to the budget address that my questions about Novel housing are never about providing social housing for the people. This is about are we doing the right thing in the way we spend our public money, and are we doing the best deal we can get for the people to make sure that the home they get are the ones that they can live in and that it's going to last and that we can deliver.

So I'd like to ask the Minister of Finance, Mr. Speaker, Minister of Finance Floyd Roland...The report states, Mr. Speaker, that -- I can't remember exactly what page -- but the government is aware that ATCO company is not the only one who could provide this housing. I believe in a good deal. I want to make sure that this government got the best deal in doing this. So I want to know what due diligence they did before he decided to marry the ATCO Novel idea. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of the relationship with ATCO Structures and ourselves, as laid out by Mrs. Groenewegen -- she's laid it out fairly close to how things have unfolded -- the issue, Mr. Speaker, I think more reflects around is it wise for the Government of the Northwest Territories to try and seize an opportunity where we can get houses for a value that is something that can be afforded in our smaller communities. Is the issue of our relationship with ATCO a concern when they've approached us with the concept was did they have a patent on that? Could they see the issue of the convertible workforce housing into homes at an affordable price? It would be wise of us to continue to look at that avenue and try to ensure that maybe we can take advantage of this mega project that's going to happen in our backyards.

So, Mr. Speaker, I think on the part of our government working with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, working with the past federal Minister of Housing, and ATCO, as well as our own shops, try to take advantage of this in the best way possible. What's wrong with trying to put more houses in communities that need homes? Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister once again avoided the essential question. The issue here is not whether or not we want 1,400 homes. That is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we are being seduced by the idea and being blinded and not doing our due diligence that we need to do with public money. We're talking about spending $500 million. The Minister states in the report that they know that ATCO is not the only one. So I want to know when or did he ever, did this government ever look at any companies? Was there any competitive process? Did they ever ask the top three companies of the world could they ever come up with an idea of converting workforce housing? It's a pretty simple and reasonable question, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let's get the numbers right here. Ms. Lee is once again coming up with her efforts in mathematics and coming up with now a $500 million project. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories, in the budget that's before the House, has not identified any money for the Novel housing concept. We are working on it. We have brought it to the attention of the Members to try to do this. What we're looking for is an opportunity to put housing in the Northwest Territories at an affordable price for the people of the Northwest Territories. So, Mr. Speaker, when it comes to our dealings with the company and did we go out with an RFP or a tender to say all companies of the world, please provide a concept that can take workforce housing and put it into homes here in the Northwest Territories, no, we didn't. We were looking at the opportunity. We were approached by a company that has a patent or has applied for a patent on this type of convertible workforce housing. Based on that information and the opportunity before us, why wouldn't we sit down and talk to them and say let's look at what we can do together to ensure there's housing for people in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, ATCO knows how to market and do their work and I wish ATCO would do our job here, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am using my math. By looking at page 23 of the document the Minister asked me to read, which I read last night, it says $90 million from Canada CMHC, $116 to $120 million...$9 million from the GNWT, $10 million from ATCO, $235 million from MGP, $60 to $70 million private. So that works out to 445 plus 60 and, in my simple math, that's over $500 million and for that this government needs to do due diligence, which I have not seen at all. So I want to ask, who do you call? Make a phone call. Make three phone calls. For $500 million, who could give the best deal? People of the North deserve that opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't go to any company and say provide housing and we'll have the Mackenzie gas project paid $235 million for us. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, what we're hoping to do is take advantage. Just to make it clear for the Member and her simple math, what we're hoping to do is have the Mackenzie gas project purchase a different type of workforce housing. Typically, they would spend $235 million -- that's our estimates -- on what it would cost for typical workforce housing. What we want to do is have them convertible at the front end so that we can, at a minimum cost, change them over, put them in communities, have them up for sale for citizens in the Northwest Territories, as well as replace some of our aging social housing. So the GNWT's portion at the tail end of this will be in the $116 million to $129 million bracket, and that's not just for homes, that's for lots, and lot development, and conversion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister owes an answer to the people of the North, and the people who are going to live in these trailers, and the taxpayers who are going to put in hundreds of millions of dollars, and that's a simple question and he's avoiding the question. Before he signed a memorandum of agreement with one company, I want to know who has he called. What did he do to look to see who is going to give us the best deal before he goes and tells Imperial this is what we want, which the government said that he did, in his response to my questions. So, Minister, it's a simple question. Has he called, or would he call, and why not if he doesn't want to call? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Number one, I did not sign the MOU. It is a document that we're honouring. A decision was brought forward, we accepted that. But, Mr. Speaker, when we want to talk about the best value, did we go out there and see if somebody could provide affordable housing in the Northwest Territories, will we go out and do it now? No, we will not go out and do it now. We're into a situation that timelines don't provide for that. But ultimately, Mr. Speaker, let's do the quick math on this. Fourteen hundred units that could potentially be used in the Northwest Territories and you take the math that she's going to, potentially we're trying to get houses in the Northwest Territories for under $120,000 apiece.

So, Mr. Speaker, our math shows that the typical housing that we build in the Northwest Territories right now, goes up to $160,000 plus. If we can put homes in the Northwest Territories for less than $120,000, what is wrong with that concept? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions, the honourable Member from Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I am quite proud to admit this afternoon that I am a paid lobbyist. I'm paid by the taxpayers of the Northwest Territories...