If I may, I would like to have the opportunity to respond to Mr. Whitford's concerns. With respect to, as Mr. Gargan pointed out earlier, the size of vehicles and vehicles being overweight, it is important to the overweight and oversize vehicles on the highway we try to do that under restricted conditions, if they cannot make the trucks smaller based upon the load. If these conditions are not being met, then perhaps we need more highway patrols, not less. That is something we will have to take a look at.

With respect to inspections, I wish to assure Mr. Whitford that there will be no reductions in the inspections that are currently taking place. In fact, if the traffic increases, we have to look at increasing inspections.

It is important to point out that over 25 per cent of traffic on the highways is big truck traffic. I am told that 5.4 per cent of the accidents are big truck traffic. So, that is an important statistic.

I am not a road expert. I have lived in the eastern Arctic for the past 27 years and the only roads we have are usually three-wheel Honda roads. With respect to water on the roads, it is my understanding that technically that has to be done when they are doing the blading or the grading of the highways. I am told the engineers say we have to soak the surface of the road.

The last point which Mr. Whitford brought up is with respect to the scenic value of building highways. In an ideal world, we would all like to do that. However, I would like to point out that we have roughly $19 million per year to build roads. It costs somewhere in the region of $600,000 per kilometre in the Yellowknife area to build a road, and about $250,000 to $300,000 in the Fort Smith area. So, there are some limitations and the whole approach to highways is what is the most cost-effective way we can do them. We have severe limitations in terms of the capital expenditures. That is a fact, that is not fiction. Every effort is made and I understand it has been done in the past. I have not travelled the highway since 1968, but I intend to do it this summer. I understand that it has been done in the past and we will certainly make every effort in the future, but within the confines of the financial situation which we are in. Thank you.