Procurement policy prompts testy exchange

The new First Nations procurement policy being introduced by the Yukon government is stirring controversy and questions from the opposition in the legislature.

The Yukon Party has been pressing the government for a week on how it’s developed the policy, and how it consulted with business and other levels of government before introducing it.

On Monday, the question sparked a feisty exchange between Richard Mostyn, the minister of Highways and Public Works and the Public Service Commission, and Stacey Hassard, the official Opposition leader in the legislature for the Yukon Party.

Hassard has been regularly prodding the government as to whether businesses and municipalities were participants in the process. He said he’s been receiving calls from people concerned that the policy was dictated and not developed.

“It’s not consultation when you just tell someone how it’s going to be,” he told Mostyn during question period.

“Mr. Speaker, why did the Liberals wait until after the policy was finalized before they decided to consult with the affected stakeholders?”

The question clearly rankled Mostyn, who fired back at Hassard.

”I really have to take issue with the assertions of the leader of official Opposition,” he said.

“We did not wait, Mr. Speaker. I have said on the floor of this legislature several times in the past week or so that we actually did meet with businesses and other stakeholders prior to this policy being endorsed and ratified by virtually every First Nation of the Yukon Forum just a couple of Fridays ago.

“We did meet. We actually provided a draft of the policy — as a matter of fact, the same draft of the draft document that cabinet has seen, Mr. Speaker. The member opposite is frankly wrong.”

Mostyn continued to hammer at Hassard during the ill-tempered exchange.

“Now the policy has now been ratified by the First Nations. We’re very happy to have that done. Now that it has happened, we’re working with our business community on informing them about the details of this policy and how it will work going forward,” Mostyn said.

“We’ve worked very, very hard on the procurement file for the last several years since we took office in 2016. We have endorsed and have worked with the business community to get all of the recommendations of the Procurement Advisory Panel in place within two years.

“We made that deadline and we’re improving the definition and doing all the good work to try to keep as much work and as much money in the territory as possible.”

Mostyn insisted the consultation process had been broad before the introduction of the policy at the Yukon Forum two weeks ago.

“We told the business community that there would be a First Nation procurement policy. We told First Nations that. We have delivered.

“The policy will strengthen Yukon companies in their bids for government contracts. It will work to keep dollars in the territory, and it will be to the benefit of all Yukoners in the years to come,” the minister said.

“We are now working with businesses to inform them about the policy in this living and breathing document, and we will continue to work with them through January and February.”

Mostyn added he would be happy to provide briefings on the policy to the Yukon Party members if they approached it in a “sincere” manner.”

“I’m happy to hear that the minister is offering up briefings because I think that he maybe should take that up himself,” Hassard sniped back. “He could probably use it.

“Another group that the Liberals forgot to consult is municipalities,” Hassard said.

“Some municipalities are under the impression that capital projects that are funded by Yukon government will be subject to the First Nation procurement policy, even though they will ultimately be owned by the municipality.

“Can the minister tell us if this new policy will apply to municipal infrastructure projects?”

Instead of answering directly, an irate Mostyn continued to attack the Yukon Party.

“We thought that the Yukon Party might be against this procurement policy, and I’m not really sure what their position is. Despite (leader) Currie Dixon’s pledge to build a kinder, gentler conservative Yukon Party, it’s painfully evident that this is the same tired old party pushing a battered figurehead, the old Yukon Party that sees First Nations as an obstacle to business and as an
inconvenience — the party of Bill S-6, which was backhandedly introduced in the Senate, and the party of ‘pave the Peel,’ which sought to subvert land use planning processes.”