Curley again hammers GN over NNI in legislature

Assurance from Nunavut’s minister of community and government affairs that the Government of Nunavut takes the Nunavummi Nangminiqaqtunik Ikajuuti policy seriously: that’s what Tagak Curley, MLA for Rankin North, asked for Feb. 22 in the Nunavut legislature.

The NNI policy is supposed to make sure the awarding of government contracts respects Article 24 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement on helping Inuit-owned businesses get government contracts.

During question period, Curley referred to two disputed cases, the awarding last year of the medevac contract for the Kitikmeot region to Aqsaqniq Airways Ltd. and that for the fuel delivery contract for Coral Harbour to the Katudgevik Co-operatives Association Ltd..

In the case of the medevac contract, the GN agreed with the recommendations of the NNI Appeals Board, which hears challenges to contract awards.

But, in the case of the fuel delivery contract, the GN did not accept a recommendation of the board that the award process was flawed, Curlery noted.

“I believe that it is perfectly evident that there are serious inconsistencies with the government’s approach to contracting and procurements…can the minister explain how the business community in Nunavut can have confidence in the government’s contracting and procurement system, given that the government seems prepared to ignore the recommendations of the contracting appeals board when it does not like certain advice? Can the minister explain why Nunavutmiut should have confidence in the government?”

As for the awarding of the fuel delivery contract and the NNI board’s recommendations, the GN accepted two of the recommendations of the appeals board, said Lorne Kusugak, minister of Community and Government Services — but decided to reject the board’s third recommendation, which called for that contract competition to be re-opened.

“We will not end the contract. We as a Nunavut government believe that it should be awarded in accordance with contracting policy. We were satisfied with the review that was carried out and that was the main reason not to terminate it. We followed the procedures and awarded it on that basis,” Kusugak said.

Kusugak continued to defend the way the GN evaluates and awards contract submissions: “All legal contracting procedures are followed to the letter of the law. I could assure the member that there is no political interference whatsoever when contracts are awarded.

On Feb. 21 in the Nunavut legislature, Curley had addressed questions about the awarding of the medevac contract to Kusugak, questioning Aqsaqniq’s qualifications for the job.

Curley suggested Aqsaqniq — a joint venture with the Yellowknife-based air charter company Air Tindi, a subsidiary of Discovery Air, didn’t hold an air ambulance charter license and doesn’t own any aircraft.