Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and it's a third round or procurement, but I'll start with some kudos because, Mr. Speaker, I have to admit I am encouraged to see the work that this government is doing in developing a manufacturing strategy. Frankly, this strategy does support our mandate commitment to expand and grow our manufacturing sector, promote and market NWT products, and aid in the professional and technological advancement of the industry.

The public engagement sessions conducted last year provides significant insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by our communities. Some of the common themes are related to labour, recruitment and retention, training and development, infrastructure, and geography.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk about GNWT policies and practices that are hurting our local businesses. Specifically, I'd like to echo complaints from my constituents on our procurement practices, guided by the Business Incentive Policy and the Northern Manufacturers' Products Policy. Mr. Speaker, our small businesses already face significant disadvantages in being located here in the North. Instead of supporting them, it seems that sometimes our own practices are used to exclude these manufacturers from being able to compete on RFPs or contracts with the government.

Frankly, there's a general lack of confidence in the GNWT's procurement processes. We've heard of some local companies that choose not to bid on RFPs because of adverse past experiences and the government's inability to address complaints about the process. Some businesses also stated that government actively seeks to change procurement requirements in order to skirt policies designed to promote northern businesses so that southern suppliers could be hired instead.