This is page numbers 39 - 64 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 1st Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was agreement.

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Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

On October 19, 2007, when the 16th Assembly was sitting in this House and I was asking

Mr. Roland questions as the Premier, did he know that the concession agreement had been signed with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, as the decision was made by the previous Assembly to proceed. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you. To the issue of the liability of this government with respect to the Deh Cho Bridge project, is the Premier, and was the Premier, aware that the signing of that agreement would necessarily take the level of commitment of this government and the liability of this government to a new stage? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in response to the questions on the 19th of this

October, looking at the issues there, as I responded, the liabilities on our government remain the same as long as the conditions hadn’t been made, there’s no final contract on this project when signed. They’re waiting for a number of factors to be settled yet. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the working of a consensus government is based on our credibility on this side of the House to ask questions and to receive accountable and transparent answers from the other side. That’s the whole basis of this debate in the House. I mean, Mr. Roland can split hairs about this, but he knows the intent of my question and some of my colleagues was to find out what had transpired and where our government sat in terms of commitment. My question is to the Premier. In retrospect, was the signing of the concession agreement not a very key piece of information that he should have shared that day? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, whether we’re splitting hairs or not, I responded to the questions that were given to me about the liability, about some of the commitments that we’ve made. Yes, I know it is a sensitive issue, but a decision had been made. In hindsight, I could go back and say, if the question was asked of me, I would have to respond in the affirmative, and maybe I should have at that point, but I was taking questions from every Member on every portfolio. So I apologize if I wasn’t sincere enough or clear enough, but, as Hansard would show, I was responding to the questions that were directed at me, and I think I had done that on that day. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Premier. Given that the voluntary sector is diverse and provides support to all areas of a community, there is merit in having the mandate for supporting the voluntary sector transfer to the Executive. Currently with MACA, the mandate is for sport, recreation and youth, and does not give them the knowledge, expertise and whatnot to reach out and address issues of voluntary groups such as justice and arts and whatnot. As Premier, would you commit to supporting the voluntary sector creating a clear and logical singular point of contact and allocating the responsibility for supporting this sector to the Executive? This will send a message that the GNWT values the voluntary sector and is committed to voluntarism and developing an open, informed, sustainable dialogue with the NWT voluntary sector.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the area of the volunteer sector has played a prominent role within the government and a number of departments. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs now has that area of responsibility and the Minister in charge has been working with a number of departments. So there are a number of initiatives that have worked their way into the system, maybe not to the level as groups would like, and if it’s the will of this Assembly that we re-look at that, where it sits, be prepared to review that scenario, I can say now that just because it would sit in the Executive doesn’t mean that we would change our answers; we’d have to look at the whole process of changes or the requests that are being made case by case. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Abernethy. Thank you. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya. They get back to the Deh Cho Bridge project and the concession agreement that was alluded to earlier and was signed on the 28th of September, three

days prior to the territorial election on October 1st . I’d like

to ask the Minister of Transportation, what was the communications plan with the public on detailing the concession agreement? When they went to Fort Providence with the shovels and the photo op, that was when the limited approval was signed off, the concession agreement, an integral part of the Deh Cho Bridge project, and should have been something that was mentioned. It hasn’t been mentioned and it was two months ago. I’d like to ask the Minister when the department was going to mention that publicly. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Minister of Transportation

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT, in its discussions with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation members, will discuss the public release of the concession agreement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering that the concession agreement was signed on September the 28th , I’m wondering how effective the negotiations

between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation could have been when, if in fact they were working on an October 1st deadline, how

could the government negotiate a fair agreement if October 1st was the deadline to negotiate? At the 11th hour, the agreement was signed on the 28th of September.

It’s two months later and no word from the department on the signing of that document. I think that’s absurd, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to ask the Minister what is the communications plan going forward with that concession agreement and what the liability is for the Government of the Northwest Territories on that project? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Minister of Transportation

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the concession agreement has been signed on the 28th of September, as Members know. The

concession agreement, there are still 12 schedules and appendices that still need to be finalized. We have to have that discussion with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation; we have to have that discussion with Members here. Mr. Speaker, once that is done and we feel confident with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation releasing public documents, we will do that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’m wondering why the government would sign the concession agreement on the 28th of September -- a multi-million

dollar deal, a multi-year deal -- without, again, the approval of the Members of the last Legislative Assembly. It looks like the project is full steam ahead; the concession agreement has been signed. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if he would entertain a full public inquiry as to the decision-making process on this project. I think the public deserves to know…