With regard to the whole area of highways, we all know that it is going to cost some $500 million to conclude the Mackenzie highway system. Has the department looked at some sort of a make-work project or initiative so we could have these special projects in different communities? Instead of having to start at one end of the other, the communities up and down the valley may be able to do a portion of the road from their community south. Right now, we have the community access road project.
There have been some good endeavours done, especially for the people in the Deh Cho, where they have taken it on to themselves to find these unique ways of making these access roads into permanent roads. I think that we have to applaud them for doing that. I think they can show us if you put your mind to it, you can do it.
As a government, we should seriously consider looking at such an initiative so that communities that are up and down the valley are able to do portions of the road over a longer period of time, knowing we are never going to get $500 million overnight from the federal government. This is probably a way we can access funds through the aboriginal funding. There is $240 million that is there. We can work in conjunction with aboriginal communities to look at the development of human resources in our communities.
Have you considered looking at such an initiative to expand the community access roads in our communities, to start accessing creek crossings adjacent to communities using our winter road systems so we are able to use those roads a lot sooner? Also, for us to start doing these special projects using the scenario behind the community access road, but expanding it, similar to what was done in the Deh Cho with the roads there? Will the Minister consider looking at that?
