Robert Hawkins

Is anyone sharing any risk on this particular highway besides the Government of the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few people I’d like to recognize, but first I’d like to start with the Pages here today. Chad Martin is from Mildred Hall School and he’s a constituent of Yellowknife Centre; as well as Miguel Gordon, who is a Mildred Hall student; and although not a constituent of Yellowknife Centre, Muhammad Awan is a Mildred Hall student. So I’d like to say, in some way, in some form the Mildred Hall students all belong to Yellowknife Centre, who I get to see regularly and I’m very proud to go to that school quite often as a parent of two kids that go there.

The other person...

When will we know if this will be a tender or a negotiated contract?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I completely disagree with the assertion of the Minister’s. This is, quite frankly, smoke and mirrors. By laying this information out in a way that we can’t get public consultation, I have been prohibited strictly from seeking information by this government because the words confidential have been stamped on all the information we’ve constantly been receiving in private briefings. This Minister should enlighten this House how he gave us the fullness of all information in a confidential manner, in a manner we can’t seek public information and guidance from this, to...

Is the Minister saying that now that we’ve printed this in a plain language document that that’s become a risk?

Mr. Speaker, last week I was asking him questions, or maybe it was the beginning of this week. After five weeks the weeks and days roll together. The other day I was asking the Minister to lay this type of detail down in a public document, one that everyone can see, but the way it’s looking at this point is nobody is going to know the details of the information until the deal is done. How is that fair for public accountability? That’s why I’m asking once again. It’s the Minister’s right to put this number out in the public. It’s not a confidentiality issue with committee; it’s the Minister’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use the occasion of oral questions today to reaffirm my concerns I highlighted in my Member’s statement, which were the cost of the royalties associated with the gravel cost. The issue is quite simple as far as I’m concerned. I would like the Inuvialuit to agree to waive their royalty fee. Now, that doesn’t mean they don’t get to charge for the gravel. I think fair market rate is fair in whatever they decide to do, but it is the royalty fee to be very clear. That would also, in my view, demonstrate two things. The first one, it would show that they have skin...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to follow up on another statement that I’ve made during the session and it’s regarding the proposed Inuvik-Tuk highway, this time with some specific concerns on gravel costs.

It is my understanding that the gravel used to build and maintain the highway is subject to royalties under the Inuvialuit Land Claim Agreement. The land claim agreement sets out maximum amounts for those royalties, it does not set minimums, so there is room for negotiation. Especially when Inuvialuit beneficiaries stand to gain so much themselves from a major infrastructure...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m trying to demonstrate the public’s right to know on this particular issue. The Minister is the one who has coined the dollar amount at $299 million for this project. He’s now saying, oh, don’t worry, the details will follow. The problem is the details follow after the project has been approved and the wheels are already moving.

Again I ask him, tell the House the cost of these particular royalties and demonstrate what is the Inuvialuit’s skin in the game on this particular project. Because as it stands today, they have zero investment in this game and all the game...

Mr. Speaker, I’m trying to phrase this in a manner that makes the most sense. I’d like to support this highway. I’d like to have reasons to support this highway. We have clear issues. Last week the Minister of Transportation said we had a $299 million estimate for this particular highway construction. So the royalty fee must be built into that estimate as the cost of the highway. We have a $299 million estimate to build a highway, so we must know what the royalty fee is and that’s what I’m asking the Minister to lay before the House. Thank you.