Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I am raising a concern of constituents on an issue that hasn't yet affected Yellowknife, but if the desires of Transport Canada are fulfilled, it will. By April 1st in some of the communities in the north, they are going to be without firefighters at the airports. They are pulling the firefighters out of the communities like Hay River, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Resolute Bay and Inuvik. The main reason for that is a change in technology as well as a cost-reduction measure. This is, Mr. Speaker, in many people's opinion, a dangerous move to make by Transport Canada. I know that we will be taking over these airports by a certain time and it is unfortunate that this is being done before we become more involved.

Many people feel that this is a bad and dangerous move that will result in the deaths or serious injuries of many people in the event of an air crash or a fire at an airport involving aircraft. It is probably one of the more dangerous places to be, given the numbers of planes in the area and the fuel in those areas. Like it or not, Mr. Speaker, it is a dangerous move to be making. It is like life insurance. You only need it once. You buy it for one reason and you only use it once. If we ever need fire crews in an area and it is used once to save lives, then I think the money is well spent and we should take time to encourage the federal Transportation board to reconsider these moves. Certainly, when our government takes over the airports, I would encourage them to reconsider the removal of firefighters from airports. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.