Thank you, Mr. Neudorf. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the project coordination under the org chart for the Deh Cho Bridge Project and Construction Management Structure, maybe it’s blacked out

somewhere, but under the project coordination I don’t see Associated Engineering anywhere under the project coordination heading. Also, under that project coordination heading I’d like to ask the Minister or deputy minister who has experience building a 1.1 kilometre bridge across a river anywhere on this project coordinating team.

When you start looking at us approving this $15 million -- and I don’t believe that’s the end of it, I think there will be more -- you go back in time and I don’t think the project made any sense once the government had to ante up that extra $2 million. That decision was made by the previous government. My constituents and the people that I represent and the reason I’m here are to hold people accountable and responsible for decisions they make or don’t make. There have been alarm bells going off on this project since day one. There have been problems with the subtrades. There have been problems with the general contractor. There have been legal issues. There have been design issues. You name it; there’s been the full gamut of issues on this project from day one. So how come somebody over there didn’t step up to the plate and remove that project management team long before we got to this stage of the game? Who ultimately takes responsibility for that inaction?

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Member pointed out, there’s a history to this project with some considerable trials and tribulations. Our responsibility as a Cabinet and as a government and as a Legislature is to manage our way through this. I’m sitting here as the Minister of Finance. Mr. McLeod, as Mr. Ramsay pointed out, is the Minister of Transportation. And, of course, the Premier is here as well. Collectively as a Cabinet we’re intent on managing our way through this. As Finance Minister I’m accountable in the role that I play and we are here to manage our way through this and we are accountable to make sure we get this done in the best way possible.

I appreciate the response from the Finance Minister. I know we need to move forward. There’s no sense crying over what hasn’t happened in the past two and a half years that this government has been responsible for this project.

Nobody wants to take responsibility for the inaction. That’s fine. But going forward -- and I’m talking about from right now -- somebody has got to take this project on and take responsibility for it being delivered effectively, efficiently, on time, and on some kind of budget. We can’t have an endless pit of money being dumped into this project with nobody taking responsibility for it. I’d like to ask the Minister going forward... Let’s not talk about the past, let’s talk about going forward. If this project continues to slide off the rails and go sideways, who is going to be responsible to the taxpayers in the Northwest Territories?

I’d like to point out that while there are certain challenges ahead of us, that this project is 50 percent done. We have made a lot of significant changes. The Member may disagree with the timing of the decisions that were made and when they were made, but we are in fact moved forward on this.

The GNWT has taken over project management design, as we have indicated. With our ongoing discussions, the lenders are leaning towards the GNWT assuming a greater role and we have been stepping into that role. The Cabinet here duly assembled was put in place by this Legislature. We are accountable. I indicate once again that I am here as the Minister of Finance with my role to play; the Minister of Transportation as well; and, of course, the Premier has delegated our portfolios to do that. The final analysis is that we stand accountable and we stand accountable to the Legislature.

Transportation, operations expenditures, total department, not previously authorized, $15.9 million.

Thank you, committee.

Thanks, committee. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I just want to know from the previous item if that information shared with us on the timelines was able to be shared with the public.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. We’re back on page 6. We’re still on page 6. Mr. Menicoche is asking whether or not the information package the Minister gave committee today can be shared publicly. Mr. Miltenberger.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Anything further, Mr. Menicoche? We’re on page 6, Transportation, operations expenditures, highways, not previously authorized, $15.9 million. Mr. Yakeleya.

Also I just want to ask the Ministers about the role of the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation in the new arrangements and setup going forward for the corporation and the status of the corporation for this bridge here.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We continue with the current arrangement with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. The Members are aware that there are negotiations and activities underway, but at this point we are proceeding with the structure that has gotten us this far. As we sort our way through the work ahead, we’ll be keeping committee fully apprised of any developments.

Thank you for the update here. The Minister stated that they’re continuing with the relationship with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. Are there going to be some changes? Because the way we’ve been dealing with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation has gotten us to this place right here. If that’s the case, then I’m not feeling too comfortable in terms of if things are going to change, because right now we have a $15 million supp that is going through the process here. I hope some things are going to change in terms of our relationship with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. Otherwise, are we going to come back to see another $15 million supp? I need some level of comfort, I guess, from the Minister.

Mr. Chairman, the project management, as it is now set up to involve the territorial government, is going to continue on. The corporate structure that is currently there will continue until we sort out the implications of our discussions with lenders. But the project management is now fully and firmly going to be run by the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Transportation. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. That does tell me with the new structure now I feel that Ministers have heard our concerns on this side here and a tightening of the belt, so to speak, in terms of how we proceed to conclude the construction of the bridge here with the corporation.

I guess there are a lot of things that we really can’t say because of the sensitivity and the negotiations and the confidentiality of some of the issues here, so I guess I’ll wait to see in terms of on a going forward basis dealing with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation, because they were one of the key

players in this whole business of putting the bridge across the Mackenzie River here.