Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Vician.

Thank you, Mr. Vician. I would remind the Members to keep your questions to deal specifically with the interim appropriation. Mr. Lafferty.

Mr. Steen, would you like to comment to that?

I have no comment, Mr. Chairman.

I have Mr. Krutko on my list.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, just looking through this wish list that we received from the Minister regarding deferring different capital items, I happened to come across a line item talking about explanation, the difference between proposed interim appropriation and the December 1999 vision for the five-year capital plan.

Under the Aklavik Foothills Trail, I notice there is $50,000 and it states, "MLA Krutko made a big issue at committee review of not including the project on the interim appropriation." I would like to know, is this note from the deputy minister or the Minister? Who is the one that put this comment in the statement? I do not know what your interpretation of a big issue is.

We are talking $50,000 here and we could not get that out of you. I would like to know what the interpretation of a big issue is and, if this is a public document, which it is now, I take offence to my name being used in this manner. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Who may not be an appropriate question in this, but Mr. Minister, if you would like to comment on that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the comments here are not to be taken as reference to Mr. Krutko's abilities in any way. Rather, it is a heads-up to me to make sure that I respond to this Member's concern, because he did make it an issue at the committee hearing. So this is a note to me, and it is not meant as anything else. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Regarding the $50,000 in this particular item, I would like to make it clear for the record, if you look at the community access roads, the communities of Rae Lakes, Wha Ti, Aklavik, Fort Good Hope, were the communities that were left out regarding the community access allocations.

I think that for the Minister or his department to make the gesture that I made a big issue over the $50,000 strictly for Aklavik is not true. I spoke in regard to all communities that the funds were not there. Rae Lakes, Wha Ti, Aklavik and Fort Good Hope were not mentioned. Yet I notice in the Minister's riding, Paulatuk, Tuktoyaktuk and Sachs Harbour, none of those dollars were cut. To me, the way it looks in the record is that in the Minister's ridings, he keeps all the money for himself and the Members' ridings, who are not on Cabinet, are the areas that are getting cut. That is what it looks like to me. Is that true?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, I cannot help how it looks to the Member. But I can assure him there is no pork-barreling here. What this suggests, and what I tried to clarify to the committee, was that those communities that identified their need immediately before break-up and within the first four months, their money is listed.

Those communities that need their money later, they will still get their money and we plan to put it into the main estimates, but it is not in the interim appropriation because the communities did not identify their need at the time we were putting interim appropriations together. This included Aklavik.

Since that time, we have had a meeting with the chief. We have had correspondence with the chief of Aklavik. We also had a meeting with Mr. Krutko. We made an effort to put Aklavik's money in here because they did indicate they intend to use it before break-up. That is exactly the explanation for why some communities have their community access funding identified and some do not. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. I would just like to remind the Members of Rule 23(i) which imputes false or hidden motives to any other Member. I just would like to remind the Members to respect each of the Members' and the comments they are making, not accusations. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Could the Minister or the deputy minister clarify the statement that is made in the document they tabled regarding the Department of Transportation where it states, "MLA Krutko made a big issue in committee review for not including the project on interim appropriation". Could I get clarification on the exact intent of that statement?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. I think, Mr. Krutko, that question was basically asked before and answered, but I will give Mr. Steen the opportunity to answer again, if he would like.

Mr. Chairman, as I said earlier, there was no intent that this be taken any other way than as a heads-up to me as the Minister that Mr. Krutko did bring this to our attention and did bring it up as a big issue in the committee.

I am not suggesting he brought it up as a big issue just for himself. He brought it up, as he stated, as an issue for those communities that were not shown as having their funding in the interim appropriation. So the intent is just to bring it to my attention and to make sure I was informed of this issue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you. Can the Minister tell me who the author of this document is?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Steen.

Mr. Chairman, I could ask my deputy minister to respond to that, but I really do not think that asking who is the author of this particular document is going to help the situation. I gave the explanation from the department, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Steen. I think that answer has been asked and satisfactorily answered, Mr. Krutko. We will not carry that question any further. Do you have another question for the Minister?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not believe I asked the question earlier about who the author of this document is. This is the first time I asked it. It was not answered earlier. I would like an answer to that question if it is possible.