I’m just wondering if the Minister can indicate to me – obviously they have done an assessment and believe there can be a cost savings – have they done any assessment on what they expect that savings to be if they were to get it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a follow-up to my statement, I have some questions for the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. Obviously, he has indicated the Power Corporation will be bidding on the Hay River franchise.

Can I get an evaluation of what the Power Corporation did in order to decide that they were going to bid? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a few Hay River residents who were distinguished Education Hall of Famers, as well, Ms. Camsell and Mr. Green. Mr. Green taught me Grade 10 biology and I didn’t have the stomach to go on dissecting frogs, but he’s also a wrestling coach. He helps out in the community quite a bit, and Mrs. Groenewegen talked about he’s involved in morel mushrooms now.

I’d also like to recognize Ted Blondin, an alumni from U of L who I went to school with. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to talk about the energy process, as well, and I support the Town of Hay River’s call for an RFP in the process. I’m the MLA for Hay River North. I represent Hay River. The town council has the option to go out for bid for process. I support that. The town council voted unanimously to go into that process and I support their look to government to bid from the Power Corporation.

I understand NUL is a northern company, Aboriginally owned, and they’re a Hay River company, a long-standing Hay River company. That’s the difficulty. But the people of Hay River have asked for us to look at the cost of living. They have asked us to look at the expense of power, one of our biggest costs out there, and the town council has responded to that request. Through this RFP, they have the right to put out a tender to ask for interested bidders.

The Power Corporation and the whole structure of the Northwest Territories, we have a company and we have the Power Corporation, a Crown corporation in the whole NWT. Obviously, if the town puts out that call for proposals, those are the two head front runners. That’s the scenario. That’s the structure of the Northwest Territories power.

I’m sorry. I support NUL. I support a lot of those people who work in Hay River. But the process of the Town of Hay River should be left to the Town of Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your committee has been considering Committee Report 14-17(5), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the 2014 Review of the Official Languages Act, and would like to report progress with four motions adopted and that Committee Report 14-17(5) is concluded. I move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm wondering if the Minister can indicate to me who in his department will be watching to make sure that departments are not tendering out for manufactured items, and making sure that items that can be built in the North will be built in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I indicated, there are many examples. I'm just wondering what the Department of ITI is doing to collaborate with all the departments to buy products and services to make sure that we're supporting northern manufacturers?

I guess my frustration with this process is five days after the Department of ITI and several departments came to Hay River a tender was issued for the manufacturing of fire pits and it had to meet a southern manufacturer's standard. Why couldn't those fire pits be manufactured in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My example of the plow truck is only one of many that I could bring up in this House. My next question is for the Minister of ITI responsible for BIP manufacturing and BIP.

My question is: With communication that we've had before these tenders for the plow truck went out, about the concern, about the value-added in the Northwest Territories, how can the Department of ITI improve this system? Thank you.