Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the stabilization fund, as it's set up, would not address community-by-community specifics. What we would look at doing, as we have done in this case, is to look at the total amount of the product cost and how much of an impact that would have. We set an across-the-board 10-cent reduction in the price of home heating oil. So in each community it isn’t set at a flat rate, either. The cost of that product to get to that community is 100 percent cost recovery as we go forward here. Every community would pay for the price of the product, the shipping and...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the contractual arrangements we have for dispensing of fuel in the communities is done on a community-by-community basis and seeing who would be interested when we put these packages out for response from the public. The fund isn’t set up to affect the price of those contracts for delivery. What the fund is there to do is mitigate the increase that we would have to go forward with if the price of the product has climbed as much as it has. From last winter’s resupply through to this summer, there’s been a drastic increase in the price of product. By...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The stabilization fund is to do what we just spoke of, to try to offset some of the sharp increases. As well, it can provide for decreases in prices if there was surplus there. The way we are going now, we would find if we kept up the practice that we had in the past, we would be in a deficit position of close to $1 million if we didn’t make some of the changes that we had in the last year. Because of the act and direction given of full cost recovery, we would have to come in for some drastic increases. These latest increases are part of a result of going full cost...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe we do resupply by barge to six communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Joining me this afternoon from the Department of Justice is Mara Heder, and with me is the director of the petroleum products division from the Department of Public Works and Services, Mr. Mike Aumond. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to introduce Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Revolving Funds Act. The petroleum products division of the Department of Public Works and Services was established in 1972 to provide fuel sales dispensing and delivery services in those communities not serviced by the private sector. The petroleum products division currently provides these services in 15 communities across the Northwest Territories.

The petroleum products division administers the petroleum products revolving fund under the authority of the Revolving Funds Act and the Financial Administration Act...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, it’s a case-by-case review of what we are looking for. In this case, we were looking for office space. We are familiar with the community and went to the department with our own staff there on the ground in the community and did an assessment of what is available in that community and if it would meet the requirements for that particular office space. We were informed that there was only one suitable location available to us. On that basis, we made a decision to go to a sole source process. So it’s case by case. If there are other opportunities out there, if you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of practices put in place about how we procure supplies or lease office space in communities. We put out a public request for proposals or a tender on facilities and rate them through the proposals that are received. The others would be in the communities themselves where we know there isn’t adequate space available; if there was only one supplier available, we would go directly to that supplier and have an arrangement made with them. It’s almost case by case because, for example, for office space, there are standards that have to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that Bill 10, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the Honourable Joe Handley will be late arriving in the House today due to his attendance at the official opening of the new Government of Canada building. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.