Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I have listened with interest a few weeks ago to the statement made by the Minister of Transportation about the positive results achieved by his department in running the community access road program. Madam Speaker, the community access road program is a good program. It is a good example of the government program meeting the needs of the people it is supposed to serve. I might drop a hint to my
constituents that the money from this program could be obtained to improve access to our traditional hunting grounds up around the Horn River.
Unfortunately, for my friend across the way, Madam Speaker, I do have a problem with one of his department's programs. I see in his budget that the Department of Transportation has budgeted money to improve the access roads into the larger communities on the highway system. We just have to look at the road that goes past this Assembly to see the results of this program; nice wide shoulders, turning lanes to speed up the flow of traffic, truly a modern transportation engineering...
---Laughter
Madam Speaker, if only the Queen visited us here every year, we would probably have paved roads to Coppermine and Inuvik by the year 2010.
Madam Speaker, I can agree with the principle of this program, however, they have forgotten someone. The road to the Hay River Reserve is very narrow. After or during a snowfall, no one driving can see the edge of the road. Madam Speaker, I have driven that stretch of the road from the highway to the reserve, a distance of only eight kilometres, and have seen the tracks of as many as four vehicles in the ditch after a snowfall. Madam Speaker, I am the first to admit that some of these mishaps may be the result of not driving on these road conditions often. But after darn near ending up in the rhubarb myself last year, I am of the belief that it is more the road's fault than the drivers'.
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge the Minister to also look at access roads in the smaller communities on our highway system, such as the Hay River Reserve, with a view of improving them also.
Madam Speaker, can I get unanimous consent to conclude my statement?