Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be voting in favour of this motion. I am going into the community this weekend to meet with them to discuss the things which the Minister has indicated. The community has indicated to me that it would like to continue with the process which was put in place a number of years ago. I know that the funding which was committed last year, in prior years, and in future years also was in the capital estimates last year, but it is not any more. This would show that this department is sincere in helping this community if we pass this motion. Thank you.

I have something which I would like to point out with regard to this motion, and that is that one of the difficulties the community has been experiencing is with regard to the right of way and where it should be. I think there have been differences between the department and the community. Because of this agreement there have been delays and lack of progress.

During the second week of November we met with the Fort Simpson Tribal Council and that was the difficulty. Most of the residents in Jean Marie feel that they know where the route should go. We are not talking about millions of dollars here, we are talking about hundreds, because you cannot be building roads through swamps or across creeks. Their feeling is that if they did it in higher areas where there is more ground and less swamp, then they probably could do more. These people know the area better than most of the people in the department. If that flexibility was there, I think they could resolve this issue quite quickly and get on with the work. I will be supporting the motion, Mr. Chairman.

Question.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to bulk fuel storage, the committee was informed by the Minister that there is a little interest from local suppliers to privatize bulk fuel storage for highway maintenance camps. Nevertheless, the committee believes local suppliers should be given the opportunity to do this prior to making government capital expenditures.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I move that this committee recommend that the Department of Transportation consider the privatization of the storage and dispensing of bulk fuel for maintenance camps.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to the Wrigley access road, the committee has determined that the section of road between Wrigley airport and the community is in poor condition, but neither the Department of Transportation nor the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has considered the road their responsibility in the past.

The committee is pleased that the Minister has indicated that as a result of our inquiries, the departments have committed to resolve this problem.

Question.

Those are the committee's general comments for now, Mr. Chairman. We have a few more, but we will do them at a later time as we go through the budget. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a couple of general comments as a Member, who has the privilege in my constituency to live nearby a highway system. Mr. Chairman, I am concerned about particular budget, even though it has not been noted as a capital priority of the community. I have in the past written to the Government Leader to indicate to her the concerns of the community, the inability and the non-commitment of the Department of Transportation to complete their paving program that they started back in the early 1980s from Sandy Lake to Fort Smith.

I note that in this particular budget, they do have $2.8 million for Highway No. 5 from kilometre zero to 40 for pavement overlay. I know Highway No. 5 is the highway system that we live nearby and this is to do pavement overlay for existing pavement. I am, once again, going to ask the Minister to consider looking at the new area of paving before we expend funding to do overlay on old paving. The old pavement is not in that bad of shape. I drive that highway quite frequently.

It is quite an inconvenience to have to go off the highway after 30 kilometres of Highway No. 5 and go onto a gravel road. There is no initiative from the Department of Transportation to forecast any type of paving for that gravelled area.

I would like to request the Minister, as a Member, to take into serious consideration and to priorize how they expend their funding. I am not asking to do all the paving in one year. There are about 90 kilometres, or I would say about 70 miles. Even if he considered paving that particular portion of our highway over a period of three or four years, we would be able to do it within the capital estimation that is before the House.

I would strongly urge the Minister, before repaving the existing pavement, to consider paving the existing gravelled area. Thank you.

Yes, This is a comment in relation to the needs of the Minister and his staff, as I have said on a number of occasions, to take a much more aggressive approach to this whole transportation strategy and our relationship with the federal government.

I have not heard, to date, anything encouraging about any kind of cost-sharing initiatives for some of the basic transportation infrastructure that many of these communities want. Whether it is roads, marine, or otherwise.

We are not going to move this country forward, and Mr. Pollard has said it on a number of occasions, without some basic transportation infrastructure. Whether it is airstrips that can bring the right kind of aircraft in, docking that can bring larger boats in, or more fundamental roads that can move our goods and services.

I will be bringing this to the Minister's attention over the next few months and asking for his attention on this important initiative. He must be much more pro-active, particularly in these difficult financial times where the cost of developing this infrastructure is horrendous. Whether it is trying to build a road or build a wharf, the dollar value is enormous and without some kind of aggressive, joint initiative with the federal government, it going to be long after my time when we see the kind of infrastructure that is necessary.

So, I feel it has got to be a priority with this government. I think that the strategy that was developed perhaps requires some modification, but it is a basic tool that we can move forward on and set some priorities. Naturally, you have got to move within the times. Whether it is in mineral exploration or changing political attitude. However, the framework for moving forward on negotiations to seek some financial support to provide this basic infrastructure is there. I really think it should be a priority of the government and I would hope that in the coming months, the Minister would see it as such. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yesterday, during question period we were told more than once, by more than one Minister, that the transportation strategy is the bible in which a lot of these capital developments and future developments are taking place. I would just like to re-iterate for the record that, in this current budget, there are no funds here for planning. I do not see any money for the extension of the Mackenzie Highway from Wrigley through to Inuvik and on through to Tuktoyaktuk.

I would like to put on the record that, again, this is a project that is needed in the Arctic for job creation and for the development of businesses and joint ventures. I think that is one of the things we are lacking.

I note in the departmental goals there are some good statements and that one of the goals is to maximize employment of northern and local residents, and maximum use of northern and local businesses in the design, construction and maintenance of the transportation network.

Another goal is public and private sectors and general public are informed and consulted on transportation programs and services. The department supports local employment in the development of a strong northern private sector. Also Affirmative Action and local involvement policies of the G.N.W.T. are reflected in the way in which programs of this department are carried out.

Mr. Chairman, I hope that departmental officials read these goals when doing their work of planning and consulting with communities, businesses and native groups in terms of developing stronger bonds, more native employment, more native businesses and better use of what we have up north. That is all I wanted to say. Thank you.