Yes, Mr. Chairman. I will try to make it very brief, so we can get into details. I think a lot of these areas could be covered in detail. Let us go down the line here just generally on deferring of different projects, I think there were some specific requests made by some of the Members. On the budget reduction, we looked at deferring projects one or two years. We bumped them back. This is done through analysis by the department. For example, if an airport terminal exists in a community, and it still has maybe two or three years life in it, then there is no need to replace it immediately. Then analysis is done and we move it back. In some cases, there are some reasons for delay, besides deferring. There is the possibility the project is preliminary to the actual airport terminal building and needs to be in place before we actually need to do it. That would cause some delay. I will just leave it general at that and, once we get into the airport terminal buildings and some other questions on deferral, in regards to Clyde River and Broughton Island, we will get into it at that time.

In regards to the department in general, the department was gearing up for amalgamation, but now that it is no longer going to happen, we now have to reevaluate our department. For example, we had a lot of casuals on staff and we never filled any permanent positions because of that. Now we are going to seriously start looking at filling those permanent positions. I think the people who are in place are reassured that we are going to function as the Department of Transportation and that we are going to move ahead with our priorities. Generally, the message is clear to the staff that there will be a period of consistency.

In regards to the access road, I think there are a number of people who mentioned it. I just want to say that it is a very popular program in the smaller communities. As long as they do not start heading for the first river or creek, I think we will be okay. Then we will have to start thinking about bridges. Just a general comment on the access road. It is a very popular program. It provides an opportunity for communities that are still practising their traditional lifestyles of putting food on the table by hunting and fishing. It is a compliment to the wage economy. In a lot of communities, that is the way people generally put food on the table. Based on that, I think it is a good program. These are the programs that are given directly to the communities and the communities, like municipalities, do the work themselves, so they make a dollar go further rather than using that term instead of the other one, that you get more out of your dollar than the other way.

In regards to air travel and the length of airport runways, that is an ongoing problem that we have in this department. In this time of budget restraints, we are going to have to look at each case in relation to all the other requests that are there. If there is a real need or safety reason, we will look at that. For the time being, we are in a state where we are going through budget restraints and we have major cutbacks in this department. Therefore, we have to note it and say that we realize that this is a request and leave it at that. For the highway to Providence and here, there is a price whenever there is something good happening and, in some cases for business, the economy and for jobs in Yellowknife and this region, with the mining development and the diamonds, the future looks good for business and the economy here. At the same time, there is a price that you have to pay for that. In this particular case, all along and for years, I have known that the infrastructure of a country is a main driving force to developing the economy. In this case, the highway is a major infrastructure that we have in this part of the Northwest Territories and we have to make good use of it. We have to look at the resources that we have and then try to make the best use of the dollars in trying to develop that infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the cost that we are looking at to finish off the highway between here and Rae is a major one. At the same time, it is the roads to riches that honourable Member Erasmus made reference to. We call it road to resources. That is an idea, putting a highway into the Slave geological province, where there are a lot of minerals, and maybe even finishing off a road up into Coronation Gulf. That is one of the ideas that have been thrown out.

Of course, there is the finishing off of the highway down the Mackenzie Valley connecting from Wrigley on through Norman Wells and connecting to the Dempster Highway, close to Arctic Red or close to Inuvik, and finishing off the highway from Inuvik to Tuk.

These are the different scenarios that are out there and we have been developing a plan over the past few months with the department and trying to look at ways on how to be a catalyst in trying to bring the GNWT, the federal government, industry, the different aboriginal First Nations' organizations and their development corporations - trying to get all the different stakeholders out there who are eventually going to benefit from this type of venture, trying to get them together. We have been working on different plans and different scenarios and what Mr. Erasmus and Mr. Henry have alluded to, of developing a plan. We have not just been sitting here on our hands doing nothing about a plan. There are people actively engaged in looking at what the possibilities are out there, in trying to secure enough resources to do some of this type of major infrastructure development.

The creation of employment is a key factor as well and in communities that are traditional and that still practice a traditional lifestyle, there is no wage economy. They have to learn how to put food on the table. Again, the access road is one avenue that is there that provides employment to the community and also opens up the country for the people in these communities.

Again, I just wanted to say that this department has taken quite a drastic cut this year and last year and we are still going to be able to provide the programs and services that are there. But hopefully we will be able to do that without any major changes to the way we have been doing programs and services in this department.

I just wanted to make those general comments in response to some of the general comments that were made. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.