Madam Speaker, as I'm sure all Members know, I'm one of the few MLAs who are fortunate enough to live close enough to their home communities to be able to drive home most weekends, when I'm not stuck in Yellowknife working. Today, in honour of Halloween, I'm going to tell a tale of monsters and government inefficiency.

I have spoken in the past, Madam Speaker, about the dangers of travelling on the highway between Yellowknife and Fort Providence. I have talked at length about the perils of buffaloes on the road, I have complained in turn about too many highway patrols and not enough highway patrols.

Madam Speaker, there are monsters on the highway; monsters with little sense, monsters that obviously run on government logic. With their headlights and beacons flashing, these monsters travel the gravel highways of the Northwest Territories. Madam Speaker, the monsters I refer to are the trucks that water the gravel roads.

Madam Speaker, as everyone knows, there are two types of water truck monsters: the first type is the one that is owned by the Department of Transportation; the second type of water truck monsters are privately owned and can be found in smaller communities along the gravel highways of the north.

Madam Speaker, that was the type I saw a few weeks ago when I made my way back to Yellowknife. I came across this private water truck monster from Fort Rae very early in the morning. I knew it was a private truck because it was very early in the morning. It was driving very slowly down the road dumping its water on the road. Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, it was drizzling and raining at that time. I really wondered, Madam Speaker, about the intelligence of these monsters, for this is not the first time I have observed this seemingly ridiculous performance. I thought to myself, how could the brain of this animal be so small. If it had any sense, wouldn't it just dump its load of water in a ditch...