Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of this House are well aware that Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre has been closed since the fall due to the ongoing labour dispute. However, it is my understanding that the government has continued to make payments to the tune of just over a half a million dollars since the dispute began on October 23rd. Under the terms of their agreement, the GNWT shells out $1.89 million annually for this service. As of today, there has been no service provided at this facility. That's 107 days, Mr. Speaker.
Aside from the fact that this represents a clear waste of public funds by continuing the payments for a service that they cannot provide, the government may, in fact, be providing a disincentive for the society to move quickly towards a settlement for their workers. I hope the government will take lessons from this situation, Mr. Speaker, when they consider negotiating future contracts. Perhaps we should include provisions requiring contractors to pay back money when services are not rendered as promised; better yet, allowing the government to suspend payments when services are disrupted for periods of time.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.
---Applause