Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a constituent here today who we rarely get to see in this House because of his busy schedule, but he is here today. Mr. Edward Sangris, chief of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Longstanding questions about the Intergovernmental Council on Land and Resource Management provided for under devolution remain unanswered. There remains an apparent and disturbing lack of responsibility regarding the mandate of the House and the mandate of the Intergovernmental Council, given that the council is supposed to respect the autonomy and authority of each government over its own lands.

On February 14th I asked the Premier how Regular Members would have input into the terms of reference for this administrated structure. The Premier replied, “Thank you, Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To cut to the chase for the record: imprudent, premature. Thank you.

I should be clear that I support the concept of an Intergovernmental Council if it’s transparent and clear. It’s not transparent and clear, and the Premier’s minions do not understand, because they’re telling us that the Intergovernmental Council is setting priorities which are the responsibility of this House. That’s the example I raised.

As an elected representative of the people, when I look at the Premier’s push to give away and limit our right to authority without any democratic review still, I have concerns about the opportunity to meet the expectations of the public for MLA involvement...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for Premier McLeod, following my Member’s Statement where I spoke about my disappointment that yet again this government has acted in a way inconsistent with the tenets of consensus government, this time in the formation and work of the Intergovernmental Council on Land and Resource Management. Despite assurances from the Premier, MLAs had no input into the terms of reference and have no observer status.

Why, despite specific requests to and obligations of the Premier, were MLAs left completely outside of the room of the Intergovernmental Council...

Transparency is one of the cornerstones of consensus government. What other decisions, properly belonging to the House, are the Premier and Intergovernmental Council making without the participation of MLAs? If the Premier has his way, and without even observer status for elected representatives of the people, we may never know. Mahsi.

Just a comment. I think we have covered this to a good degree. Obviously, I don’t think we’ve come up with a response, but I would just note that highways, this division is accounting for 44 percent of our infrastructure budget. That’s probably almost the definition of putting all our eggs in one basket and I don’t think it’s a wise use of our resources.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, at the end of the three years, would we be going out for a competition on this contract?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess, am I correct in hearing in that answer that this will not be put out for competition in the future?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Am I right in believing that this is an extension of a past, I believe, three-year contract, and if so, was that provided for in the original contract and when would this go out for RFP for competition to see if we could reduce this cost?