Jackson Lafferty
Statements in Debates
I understand that they may not have been charged, but they were involved. When the drug bust happened, there were nine of them. You know, when there was a person of interest from the RCMP in Alberta just recently, they released the names of two individuals. This is, I would say, similar. I would ask the Minister of Justice if she is willing to sit down with the RCMP "G" Division commanding officer and seek out if there is any way that we can provide those names to the general public. My constituents, I want to protect them, and with those kinds of names, we should be releasing those to the...
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation not available]
I have a couple of written questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. Can the Minister of Infrastructure please provide a breakdown or detail of all the contracts and subcontractors at the Tlicho all-season road construction, and please provide addresses for these contracts and the length of their contracts. In addition, provide some details of O and M contracts and subcontracts after the construction is completed in 2022. Masi, Mr. Speaker.
As I stated earlier in my Member's statement, I drive the road on a frequent basis and I see different vehicles that go to the site. One of them happens to be a water and sewer truck and the van, of course, I talked about, the cargo van. I understand the service contracts for water and sewage and for shuttling workers back and forth to Yellowknife were awarded to an outside firm. Can the Minister explain why the water and sewer contract was not awarded to the Behchoko community government?
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] When I made my Member's statement, I touched on the road to Whati and how contracts have been given out. I would like to ask the Infrastructure Minister a question. [End of translation]
Mr. Speaker, I spoke earlier about the construction of the all-season road to Whati. I am just wondering: what are the local, regional benefits provisions of the agreement that was signed between the GNWT, the Tlicho government, and North Star Infrastructure relating to this project?
Masi, Mr. Speaker. This is a mega project, and it's right in the heart of the Tlicho, the Monfwi Gogha De Nihtl'e area. My citizens, my Tlicho citizens, have every right to know why the contract wasn't awarded to the community of Behchoko. We do provide those services, and instead of going all the way from Yellowknife, just imagine the cost of delivering that service. If I can ask the Minister to further look into this matter, because it is an important matter that has been addressed to me by my constituents, even the workers at the site. On this particular water and sewer contract, why it...
Obviously, I was hoping to share that the numbers were much higher instead 30 percent, 35 percent, because we have a southern firm, the main contractor at the site. It's unfortunate that it's around 30, 35 percent, during the construction phase. The Member alluded to other figures, but that's during the life of the road. I'm not talking about a particular area; I'm talking about the construction site. If the targets are not met, is there a penalty attached to that agreement between the parties?
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to make a statement regarding the highway to Whati and how the contracts were given out regarding the employment. There is a lot of employment that will go into it. It is going to be a three-year contract. We are hoping that we include a lot of training on the job and also businesses. I would like to say a few things regarding that. [Translation ends]
Whati all-season road is a P3 project with a 20 percent Tlicho Government partnership with the main contractor North Star Infrastructure, a non-NWT company. The project includes...
This is a very important project, and my understanding is that a proposal has not really been submitted yet, unfortunately. I want to ask the Minister: what discussion has this Minister of Infrastructure had with her federal counterparts regarding the funding for this very important project, the Frank Channel Bridge?
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] There is a major bridge on our lands. It is called Frank Channel Bridge. Without that bridge, we know that we won't be able to transport a lot of things, and it is really old. I have questions for Infrastructure. [End of translation]
[Microphone not on] ...part of the North Slave highway lifeline to the rest of the territory, and also to the south. It is 50-plus years old and badly aging. A question to the Minister of Infrastructure: where does a new Frank Channel Bridge rank in the capital plan of the Minister's infrastructure department? Mahsi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I have a point of privilege. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak on my point of privilege. When we look at the position of the Premier, it is a big position. It is a huge job, and also the president of Aurora College has its own rules and regulations in place. The decision the Premier has made, we want to know exactly what happened. The way we have these recorded information, I will read it in English because I want it properly recorded. We do have a really good interpreter, but I will say this one in English. [Translation ends]
Mr. Speaker, I have...