Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I asked a question about procurement reform, and the Minister responsible said that he is not aware of any complaints. Today, I have a complaint for him. Some of my constituents are concerned about the 50 per cent plus one ownership requirements of BIP, saying, it is extremely frustrating for us to stay here year round, pay property taxes on several properties, pay extremely high living costs, and watch all the work go to divisions of southern companies who have a majority of equipment and employees in the South come up on a seasonal basis. There is a...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, this motion recommends something that is quite self-explanatory, ensuring we have appropriate indicators, so we can, in fact, measure the progress that we are hoping to achieve. Given that the audit is related to the provision of essential services in communities including emergency preparedness, fire, water, the committee believes that having clear indicators is of crucial importance to our communities moving forward. We hope that this will be adopted, and we will see those indicators in the final action plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As public engagement is an important priority of this government and we want to make sure we are making informed decisions that take into account the people that are most affected, the committee has put forward this recommendation. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Further to my previous comments on the last motion, when the standing committee was given the action plan for this audit, it was in final form, and committee felt that we were not given an opportunity to provide feedback to those concerns. Again, our work on these audits is an important part of that process. We would ask that, in the future, our comments and feedback be considered before any final plans are implemented.

I should add, as well, it is not the standing committee's intention with this motion to be involved in every step of the audit process, merely the final...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. When we were reviewing this business plan in particular, the government was very late in getting their action plan to us. In fact, probably about three hours was actually afforded in business days. We want to avoid that problem in the future. We certainly do appreciate the hard work that the department did in working with the Auditor General's office in developing their action plan. For us to play our part in this process, as the Standing Committee on Government Operations and the public accounts committee for this Assembly, we need to be given that information in a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. By the same token, perhaps my constituents aren't complaining directly to the Minister because they don't feel like they can. So will the Minister commit to establishing an arm's-length body that can properly assess whether or not our procurement system is maximizing the benefits it delivers to our economy and to Northerners? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think some business people might disagree, and certainly it's good but that doesn't mean it stops there. Good is the enemy of great, and I think we deserve a world-class procurement system.

So will the Minister commit to establishing a committee of businesspeople and procurement experts to evaluate objectively our procurement system here in the Northwest Territories?

One thing I have heard is that, if the funding followed the apprentice and was paid to the employer, it would be a more flexible program and you could have apprentices shifting employment to various things. For example, if they worked in the mine and came into Yellowknife or Hay River and worked in a manufacturing facility, they could still retain the benefits of government-funded apprenticeships but be able to spread that benefit across the Territories. Does the Minister support that approach, and can he share that detail, if it is included in the strategy?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, I spoke about apprenticeships, and I take note that the Minister also spoke about a new apprenticeship strategy that the department will be unveiling shortly, with both friends on the systemic committee and social development. Today, I would like to know a bit more about that apprenticeship strategy, specifically if the Minister can share: is there a financial commitment to support any parts of that strategy so we can get some real, tangible results by investing in our trades? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think, to anyone observing today's debate, it is very clear that the honourable Members of this House place the rights of Northerners at the highest possible level the paramount responsibility of this Assembly, and that is to be commended. Further, anyone who heard the honourable Member from Deh Cho speak knows firsthand that the experiences he brings to this House are irreplaceable and speak to many things. That experience informs the decisions of this Assembly and makes us a stronger Assembly by having that experience shared and infused into how we discuss very...