Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, negotiated contract policies in the North are colonial, inadequate, and out of touch with the growing dynamics and needs of the Northwest Territories, especially in the small and remote communities with considerable aboriginal populations.
Our negotiated policy, Mr. Speaker, is from a colonial and paternalistic past wherein the all-powerful Commissioner, by his grace, allowed communities to negotiate a contract without a competitive bid process.
Communities I represent, Mr. Speaker, indicate they wish to be primary beneficiaries of government contracts that affect their community. This is possible by instituting a public program similar to the federal aboriginal Set-Aside
Program that allows departments to enter into local contracts with aboriginal communities and businesses.
The federal government's aboriginal Set-Aside Program has been in existence for the past 10 years. I would like to take this opportunity to explain that it provides opportunities to aboriginal suppliers and contractors. The opportunities we are talking about are not just peanuts, Mr. Speaker. In 1997, 3,200 aboriginal businesses were awarded $44 million and recently, 2004, 6,000 aboriginal businesses were awarded $245 million. Programs like this greatly assist community economic development initiatives and capacity building.
This government should have similar procurement strategies for aboriginal businesses for communities with almost all aboriginal population, as it is absurd to award a contract to non-local or southern businesses with no aboriginal ownership, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the appropriate Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi cho.
---Applause