Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Minister of Infrastructure, in June of 2020 I announced $15 million in funding from the Investing in Canada infrastructure program to advance the Prohibition Creek Access Road. The scope of this project included planning activities as well as the construction of approximately 13 kilometres of all-season road from Canyon Creek to Prohibition Creek along the existing Mackenzie Valley winter road alignment. My department and I decided to issue this contract for open tender, or an RFT, just months before my removal from Cabinet in September of 2020. One year later, in October 2021, Infrastructure finally initiated the public procurement process for the construction of Prohibition Creek. A single construction bid was received at a significantly higher cost - 69 percent greater than the funds publicly announced as available for the work. Rationale for the escalated costs included substantial increases due to supply chain issues resulting from the pandemic. This wouldn't have been a factor had the road been issued for tender when I had given the order to my department. This leads me to ask, Mr. Speaker, what happened between June of 2020 and October of 2021 to delay issuing this RFT?
Currently, the department is working with Infrastructure Canada to secure a total of $25.5 million of funding and has changed the scope of work to only 6.7 kilometres of road between Canyon Creek and Christina Creek.
Mr. Speaker, rumors are swirling around the Sahtu that this won't even include the cost of fuel for the project. Add in the GNWT's portion, and we're talking about 30 to $35 million for 6.7 kilometres of road. I should quit this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, and get into the road construction business if it's that lucrative. And the icing on the inquiry, Mr. Speaker, is the Minister of Infrastructure has informed me that it is now going to be a negotiated contract. And not only will the minimum $30 million contract be negotiated, it's being given to a private company in Norman Wells, not a development corporation or other such Indigenous entity as is usually the case for negotiated contracts.
Furthermore, this is a company that supported a Member of Cabinet during the election, at least according to what the people from the Sahtu have been telling me since I took office.
In an email dated October 6th, I was informed by Minister Archie that the Minister of Housing has endorsed this private business in a written letter submitted with their ask. I will be tabling that email later today, Mr. Speaker. This is unacceptable. And I ask, when are we going to stand up and start addressing the cronyism and corruption of the GNWT? Thank you.