Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to speak to the principle of the bill. It’s not a bill that I can see myself supporting for a number of reasons. I think first and foremost I’m not convinced that the decisions that the government has made pertaining to the Deh Cho Bridge Project after the issues with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation came to light and we’ve taken over the project. The first thing the government did was take the recommendation of the former project managers there to go to a sole-source contract with Ruskin. My opinion is that was the wrong thing to do. I do believe we should have gone to the marketplace on this. That’s my firm belief. I don’t understand how the government could get into another sole-source negotiated contract arrangement with one company, not fully understanding or knowing where
the project’s been and the audit, in my mind, should have been done before the government went out to the marketplace for what would have been a proper tendering process so that we could ensure for the public in the Northwest Territories that we were in fact getting the best price for the completion of this massive piece of public infrastructure.
Mr. Speaker, I also don’t believe that the project is going to be completed by November of 2011, like the government seems to think that it’s going to be completed by. Timing was a big issue when it came to the decision to negotiate that deal with Ruskin for the completion of that bridge. My belief is, again, this will not happen.
I also do not believe for one second that the final price tag on this bridge is going to be $182 million. I believe it’s going to be much higher than that.
I understand and I appreciate the position that Members are in and this government is now in. It is between a rock and a hard place, Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about that. We are in a very, very difficult position. But again, Mr. Speaker, on principle -- and that’s why I’m voting against Bill 6 -- I cannot support this, because I do not believe that the right decisions were made at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.