Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in this House and accumulating with the removal of ERS airport response in Iqaluit and other communities, I continue to oppose the elimination of ERS or emergency response at those airports. ERS was removed because the Department of Transportation followed federal guidelines which indicated

did not have the money to continue to offer the services. Through cooperation with Minister Antoine and Minister Thompson, our fire department received training and some equipment to respond to airport emergencies. After our Department of Transport commissioned a study on ERS in Iqaluit, and after I also commissioned a report to review the government's report, all indicators pointed to the redundancy of ERS in our community, based on those current federal regulations. Mr. Speaker, a couple of months ago in New Brunswick, the question of ERS again was raised when there was an accident in that province. I now understand that a meeting was held in Ottawa last week with the federal Department of Transportation that may impact on readdressing the ER services and it may have a impact here in the north, and in particular at the Iqaluit airport. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT was represented at these meetings in Ottawa and later today I will be asking the Minister about the Ottawa meetings and the emergency response at the Iqaluit airport and the navigation system in place there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause