I know that RODs from FMB and Cabinet are protected and privileged information, but I was wondering if the Minister of Finance could please tell us who signed the record of decision to proceed with this contract.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t have that record of decision with me, so I couldn’t speak specifically, but I could get that information.

Thank you very much. I would appreciate that. Again, just to process: when I asked about Ministers providing letters of support for negotiated contracts in their communities — and Ministers getting involved in discussions about capital projects in their communities at all, I suppose, negotiated or otherwise — it was kind of alluded to that I should know, having been in Cabinet, that there is a process. Something that’s a bit curious to me is that if a Minister provides a letter of support to Cabinet for a negotiated contract for a project in their community, does that Minister then leave the room when there’s any discussion related to that project in the Cabinet room or in FMB?

Yes.

I guess the reason I ask that, then, is because I find it curious that this morning, when I was asking questions about this negotiated

contract — and I did not direct my questions to the Premier — the questions were not referred to the Minister of Public Works and Services but to the Premier. It’s just an interesting point I want to make: if this was being discussed in the Cabinet Room, the Premier and Finance Minister remove themselves from the room, but when it’s brought up here in the House and there’s a defence to be made for a specific capital project, in fact the Premier would take the questions.

It was on two things this morning. It was on the office complex and this negotiated contract for the schools replacement. That happened two times this morning in the Assembly here. I just wanted to say that that’s curious to me, in terms of process.

Could the Minister of Finance please tell me who owns Dowland construction?

I understand the majority owners are the Inuvialuit.

Thank you. Does the Minister know if the Inuvialuit beneficial shareholders benefit directly from any IRC business interests?

I didn’t quite get the question. Could I ask the Member to repeat it, if she’d be so kind?

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. The time has expired, but I’ll let Mrs. Groenewegen re-ask the question.

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Miltenberger said that Dowland construction — the majority is owned by the Inuvialuit. I just wondered if the Minister was aware if the Inuvialuit beneficial shareholders benefit directly, monetarily, from the IRC business interests.

That’s a level of detail into the internal workings of the IRC and the Inuvialuit that I’m not privy to.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Next on my list is Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just looking at the page for Education, Culture and Employment, I see the various school projects. I just wondered if there was a possibility of getting the school in Hay River, DJSS, started earlier by moving the exact same budget one column over to the left, to get all the projects started. It seems like all of these school projects I’m looking at here are going to be started this year, and then there’s some work continuing in Inuvik and also in Fort Good Hope and St. Joseph, except for Hay River, where there seems to be a one year delay. I’m wondering if the government would look at just advancing that project by one year as well.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If ECE completes their program reviews through the education side and it’s determined that it’s in the best interests for all concerned that we proceed, then we’ll of course consider that, the same as we did with St. Joe’s here in Yellowknife.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Next on my list is Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just following up on the lines with regard to the letters of support for projects. I know that the letters of support, in most cases, are subject to certain wording. Especially when looking at the socio-economic possibilities of jobs, employment opportunities and contracts, that support is subject to those types of arrangements being concluded before these contracts are entered into.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly how much weight do these support letters have by way of businesses ensuring there are employment opportunities for affected communities and also ensuring that businesses in those local communities are able to take advantage of these projects to formulate some sort of a joint venture?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These letters are considered a very important part of the process. In the case of the schools in Inuvik there are letters of support from the Gwich’in, the Inuvialuit and all the communities, as well as all the affected MLAs. They are an important part of the process.

I had an opportunity to sit down with the former president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council with regard to an individual from Dowland. In those discussions they talked about formulating a joint venture to take advantage of this $100 million project, yet it seems like there’s been a crossing of the minds under new leadership. They’re saying that’s no longer on the table.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly how can you go forward approving an agreement knowing there were letters in which the intent was to formulate these partnerships? Then after you issue the contract, they basically neglect those letters of support in order to go forward on these contracts. What is the avenue in regard to ensuring that there is that weight for local and northern involvement in these types of contractual arrangements?

Mr. Chairman, the letter of support that the Member references does indicate that there was a plan or discussions underway to negotiate with Dowland for a role and arrangement with the company so that they could take advantage of opportunities both in the North and outside of the North. But our role is not to track or become involved, once again, in the internal negotiations of private companies in terms of whatever their partnership structure is going to be. What we do know is that we have letters of support from Gwich’in, Inuvialuit and all the MLAs in the community of Inuvik supporting this project.

Mr. Chair, I know for a fact that in the past there have been situations where the government found themselves caught in the middle, where they allocated a specific contractor who listed their subcontractors on that contract and neglected to give their subcontractors work, where the individual subcontractors countersued, saying: I had a contractual obligation under your contract to be your sub in this contract; I was listed, but you didn’t use me. I’d like to know: do you have a list of who the subcontractors are for this particular project, and does that include the Gwich’in Development Corporation?