Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions now are to the Minister of Finance.
I was listening to the Trailbreaker podcast the other day, and it got me to thinking about when the former finance Minister talked about the fibre link. My question really is about the fact that he'd spent a lot of time talking on that podcast about a missed opportunity and not generating money. So maybe we can set the record straight. Whether he's right or whatnot, we'll find out soon.
Can the Minister of Finance tell us why NorthwesTel is in full control of the fibre link and how much money the GNWT is getting out of this arrangement? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link is a project that is a P3 project. It's not fully operated -- it's actually operated by a consortium, so it's not fully operated by NorthwesTel. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, with the diamond mines closing, no new mines opening, we need every revenue opportunity we can. Can the Minister enlighten this House as to how much revenue that particular initiative is making annually? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's not -- this is not a revenue generator. The Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link does provide a point of presence along the way, all the way up to Tuktoyaktuk now, so that certainly government services are available to link in, and then NorthwesTel, under CRTC's direction, was mandated to provide fibre to the home as a result of it. I can't say what the past Minister may or may not have made promises about. I can simply say that the Mackenzie Valley fibre line does provide that point of presence all along Mackenzie Valley to small communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The P3 project, when I was here, talked about generating revenue for Northerners and access for Northerners. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister enlighten the House what happened, why it isn't making money through that P3 initiative as it was originally intended? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know what the last Minister said. I can only say that in the last few years this is an area that doesn't generate money. It provides a point of presence, and we have continued to expand it all the way to Tuktoyaktuk, as I mentioned, which was a promise originally made back at the time that the project was being conceived, but it is not generating revenue to the GNWT right now. It is something that we provide in the absence of the market filling this void. So as are many things here in the Northwest Territories, when there's not a private market filling a gap, the GNWT does wind up stepping in. This is one of those occasions where we step in to ensure that there's a fibre available for residents and businesses along the Mackenzie Valley and all the way up to the coast. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
