Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just yesterday, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment tabled the June 2021 report for Procurement Review Panel and updated this House about the status of the procurement review. That new information helped to better inform my statement today which is on the Government of the Northwest Territories procurement.
Mr. Speaker, government procurement is a very large of the NWT economy. In fact, according to the report by the Procurement Review Panel, Government of the NWT's procurement spending represents more than 30 percent of its total budget in 2019-2020, and more than 15 percent of the GDP of the NWT.
Government procurement is used to not only help deliver vital goods and services to people but it also indirectly helps create good paying jobs for many businesses across the NWT.
Some businesses are so reliant on government procurement contracts that their success or failure is determined by government procurement practices. In other words, government procurement with make or break certain NWT businesses.
Mr. Speaker, for these reasons it is extremely important that the Government of the NWT updates its procurement practices across the board as this report suggests. The ITI Minister agreed too yesterday, that the Government of the Northwest Territories must approach public contracting to accomplish both economic and social objectives of the people of the NWT.
It should no longer be that some businesses in some small communities always get awarded the same contract every year.
In all my years in elected leadership in the business community, I've seen many instances of unfair distribution of procurement contracts across the NWT. Often it's not about what the business has to off but rather who you know.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted