Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, November 28, 1996, the Member for Nunakput asked me when the Department of Transportation terminated its Emergency Response Service at the Norman Wells airport and how many staff it laid off.
I am pleased to report that the Department of Transportation was able to terminate the Emergency Response Service at the Norman Wells airport without having to lay off any employees. When the department took over the airport from Transport Canada on July 1, 1995, it was reasonably certain that the forthcoming regulations respecting Emergency Response Services would not require them at Norman Wells. By not staffing vacancies and normal staff turnover, the department was able to close the service on July 1, 1996 without laying off any staff. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.