Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. The seconder to the motion, Mr. Gargan. To the motion. Minister Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. To the motion. You would like to have your final statement, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you. I thank the Minister for his comments and his viewpoint. I did want to indicate to this House that the purpose of my motion was to read "an independent review," not an inquiry or something intended to be a costly review. Basically, the intention is to ask the Minister to ask to borrow one of his provincial counterpart's staff, with expertise in this field, to do the review. Therefore, it would not mean extraordinary cost to the government. As I initially said, we are asking to have a decision to triple designate impartially looked at. With that, I would like to ask for a recorded vote, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. That concludes the debate. A recorded vote has been requested. All those in favour, please rise.

Recorded Vote

Mrs. Marie-Jewell, Mr. Gargan, Mr. Koe, Mr. Ng., Mr. Lewis, Mr. Whitford, Mr. Ningark, Mr. Arvaluk, Mr. Pudlat.

All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise.

Ms. Mike, Mr. Pollard, Mr. Kakfwi, Mr. Morin, Mr. Todd, Mr. Nerysoo.

The official count is nine votes voting for, zero votes voting against and six votes abstaining. The motion is carried.

---Carried

---Applause

Motion 8-12(4), Road Construction through Wood Buffalo National Park, Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to be able to address an initiative -- and I believe it is an exciting initiative -- that can be accomplished by this government, with their assistance. Mr. Speaker, since I have been a Member for six years, I have many times indicated that an all-weather road to the south from Fort Smith is required.

I did want to indicate that this road system, as all Members know, Fort Smith is right on the Alberta border, right in the Northwest Territories. However, was a road through Wood Buffalo Park, as I have said, back in 1958. This road has not been, for some reason or another, maintained. As a result, there has been a substantial amount of overgrowth in the past twenty years. Therefore, the resources to be able to keep this road open have not been available.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly believe that, not only will it increase and promote tourism, but it will allow for another economic base for the benefit of all territorial residents. Any type of road to resources or to the north, any type of transportation infrastructure we get in allows for the north to benefit in many different ways, whether it be through cheaper rates with respect to any type of items that come up north. It certainly will benefit many of the communities. I don't want to speak too long on the motion, Mr. Speaker. It is just that I basically want to indicate to the Members that this particular road is in the management plan of Wood Buffalo National Park. This road is identified. However, we basically need a mechanism to put in place the completion of the road that really requires 72 miles of a cut line to be cleared. Since it will, no doubt, shorten the distance where people from Fort Smith go south, it will also encourage people from the south to come up north.

We all know that Fort Smith is one of the pretty communities in the territories. There is no doubt that it will encourage and increase our tourism for the north. We all know that tourism dollars add to our economy. I believe that it encourages an economic base, it allows for a transportation infrastructure to be built. I believe that it is a good initiative to look at.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, since Arctic College has been working with the road to Fort Chipewyan, this type of initiative to build a road to Fort Vermilion is a reality. I do want Members to know that, in speaking to the Prime Minister, he has made a commitment to many of his close liberal friends from Fort Smith, in giving whatever assistance he can provide to look at a winter road. I certainly know that Thebacha campus, the heavy equipment program, is more than capable of building this type of road. I certainly would like to ask for the support of Members, the support of the government, in encouraging and negotiating for a road through Wood Buffalo National Park to go to Fort Vermilion. I believe that this dream will become a reality. I ask for the support of Members on this particular initiative. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Marie-Jewell. The seconder of the motion, Mr. Whitford.

Thank you, Mr. Whitford. To the motion, Mr. Koe.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Before making a decision, I have to get some clarification on some of the points raised by the honourable Member for Thebacha. I, for one, fully support all highway development in the Northwest Territories and have expressed my opinions as such, but I do have some concerns and I will raise these concerns. Hopefully, before the vote, I will get some clarification. Initial reaction was how much would this cost and what would be the impact in cost to this government. Another issue is, since most of this road is in Alberta, how much would the Alberta Government be contributing to the development of such a road? Before supporting this particular piece of highway, I obviously would put my priorities in supporting an extension of the highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells to Inuvik and eventually to Tuktoyaktuk. But, before that, I definitely would like to see an upgrade of the Dempster Highway.

The honourable Member for Thebacha mentioned that it is 72 miles of cut line. We all know what comes next. It is chip seal and paving. Again, those are costly. I would support this motion, Mr. Speaker, if the mover or someone would clarify that this would be done at very minimal costs and would be used as a training project for Arctic College heavy equipment program.

That is not really a mechanism for clarification, but if the mover, in her concluding comments, make statements which allay your fears, then you will act accordingly, I am sure. To the motion. Mr. Lewis.

I will be brief, as well, Mr. Speaker. I lived in Fort Smith briefly for a couple of years, 1972 to 1974. That was the subject of conversation at that time and apparently had been the subject of conversation for twenty years before that. It was always felt that, if there was one thing that would change the structural economy, it would be if it had a road somehow south through the park into Alberta. That dream has persisted for many years and there has been a lack of political will at the level where these decisions are made, to achieve that result. I agree that the kind of conditions that the person who has proposed this motion to us has given, that it would be an attempt to get back to where we were in late 1960s, to follow up on the project that had been abandoned and to do it at a cost that we can afford. For that reason, I will support the motion.

To the motion. Mr. Todd.

Thank you. Given that I am the Minister of Transportation, I will have to go out there to seek the funding. I think it is important to state that a review of the Transportation initiative to place, a few months ago. It was based upon the advice that we were given by the 24 MLAs. We will be tabling it next week. That is not in the transportation strategy. I see this motion as outside of what we were trying to accomplish with the existing budget that we have. There is $37.5 million out there, not $370 million. I want to make it clear that I have said to the honourable Member, I think it is creative initiative. The approach has been suggested that we use Arctic College. We will take a hard look at it. But, it is important to say that we have to take a hard look at it, if we can find new dollars. I can't do what has to be done now with the existing dollars I have. There is incredible pressure on the Ministry by everybody concerned. I support the motion. We will take a look at putting some clinical energy to help make that commitment now. We will try to be a little bit creative, but I have to caution you in saying that we must look for new resources to do this kind of initiative. Under the current budgetary constraints that we are working with, it would be difficult to realign dollars when there are greater priorities. On the one hand, yes, I will support the motion, but we have to look for new funds to do it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Todd. To the motion. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are getting into a very awkward position because we do support infrastructures to be built and we also support economic development in the north. However, when we have major issues to deal with, we usually discuss it either in the Ordinary Members' Caucus, the Standing Committee on Finance, the Standing Committee on Agencies, Boards and Commissions or the full caucus, as part of the planning process. For example, social housing federal cutbacks and other major issues that need to be dealt with. We usually try to work cooperatively as ordinary Members as to what are the priorities that government should look at as a long term plan. This motion came as a surprise. I feel that we should, for initiatives for that area, discuss it longer, through perhaps a three week period, as one of the major issues that we put together that we want to deal with. Education strategies, et cetera, are not cheap. They are expensive, either way you look at it. If it is a recommendation, then we would have made a recommendation. At this time, I will be abstaining from the motion. Thank you.

To the motion. Mr. Ng.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we all generally would support initiatives that would bring the possibility of enhanced economic development to any of our communities. As Mr. Todd stated, this particular project may be outside of the realm of the new transportation strategy, as being proposed. I would like to suggest, creating more national recognition for this project, to move an amendment, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis. The amendment being:

AND FURTHER, that this House recommend that the Speaker communicate this support for the road to the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Prime Minister of Canada.