Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a statement to make regarding the involvement of ordinary Members in the capital planning process. Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to hear the statement made by the chairperson of the ordinary Members' committee, that the Government Leader has agreed to allow ordinary Members to have meaningful input into this process. I fully agree with this process that has been developed. I think it is long overdue. In light of this, Mr. Speaker, I will not be proceeding with my Motion 36-12(1) on the order paper today.

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Mr. Speaker, I originally brought this motion forward on the strong recommendation of my constituents. I tabled a petition in this House last week to that effect. The need for an airport for Rae-Edzo is an essential component in building a viable economy in the North Slave region. It will help solidify transportation linkage between Rae-Edzo and the smaller communities. This is of utmost importance because Rae-Edzo is the economic and administrative centre and the cultural hub for my region.

Currently, transportation routes between the smaller communities and Rae-Edzo go through Yellowknife. It is our hope that creating direct links between our communities will lessen the dependence our region has on Yellowknife. I will stress that I remain fully committed to the construction of this airport and will be pursuing this matter with the Executive Council during our discussion on the capital planning process. Thank you.