Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the many businesses in my riding of Kam Lake, and many of these businesses rely on government contracts to keep their operations viable and create employment for our communities. This government has a responsibility to northern entrepreneurs to make sure government procurement is efficiently administered, easy to access, and creates a competitive edge for those companies that choose to do business in the North and call the NWT home. I have spoken on this issue in the House before, Mr. Speaker, and though the Minister of Infrastructure remains confident that there is no need for a reform or even a review of such policies on procurement, Northerners know that simply isn't the case.
There is no question the governments can always improve, and procurement reform is needed to ensure a strong and stable private sector exists in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses counts over 250 members here in the Territories. The federation works hand in hand with its members to understand the economic needs for small and medium-sized businesses in every region in the country.
In their most recent survey of Northern businesses, the CFIB asked for the priority issues of Northern business owners, and 86 per cent of respondents stated their most serious concern was government over-regulation and complexity of procurement, otherwise known as "red tape." For the average small business with fewer than five employees, annual regulation costs per employee in Canada is $5,942. For larger businesses in the five to 100 employee range, the fee starts at $3,133 and tapers off at $1,456 per employee. With our already high cost of living, how can we expect our business community to get ahead under such high regulatory burdens?
Kam Lakers have an abundance of experience in dealing with the slow and inefficient pace of government procurement policies. In one case, a Kam Lake firm saw an approval for a manufactured project, ensured all their documents were correct, and then had to wait 15 months before the government responded to the application. Mr. Speaker, I think it is clear such a state of bureaucratic limbo is unacceptable. Even a rejection to the application would have been preferable to forcing our businesses to "hurry up and wait," when economic opportunities need to be accessed and are on the line. Mr. Speaker, I am going to have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure, and I hope his response will not be, "We don't have a procurement problem." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.