Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 26th, aboriginal leaders in the Northwest Territories announced that they now support in principle the building of a pipeline that follows the Mackenzie River.

Mr. Speaker, the aboriginal leaders talked of working together to develop a business partnership that would maximize ownership and benefits of a pipeline in the Mackenzie Valley.

In light of this announcement, Mr. Speaker, I believe that this government has a golden opportunity to work with aboriginal governments and the federal government to build a highway down the Mackenzie in conjunction with the construction of a pipeline.

Economic opportunities would also follow a road, Mr. Speaker. Be it resource development or exploration, a road would make it easier and economical for companies to make investments in the North's future and its people.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the government has a responsibility to the residents of the rural Northwest Territories to ensure they enjoy the same access to the rest of Canada as the residents in our larger communities. There is no reason that this government's highway strategy should not ensure this.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be presenting a petition on behalf of my constituents that asks for the Mackenzie Highway to be extended to the Beaufort Sea and for the Dempster Highway to connect to Aklavik. In addition to being a cost-saving measure, the combination of the two projects would minimize the impact on the environment.

Mr. Speaker, in order for all residents to participate in a vibrant, integrated economy, all of the land-based communities in the Northwest Territories must be connected by an all-weather road system. A road means lower costs for food and fuel, two of the major expenses for residents in these communities.

Tourism would flourish in the Northwest Territories if we had a road in the Mackenzie Valley that interconnected with the Dempster and ended at the Arctic Coast. No tourist wants to drive 700 or 800 miles to get somewhere and then turn around and go back over the same road they drove two or three days before.

I look forward to the Minister's response to this petition and will be following up on this matter in question period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.