Thank you, Minister Allen. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty. Thank you, no supplementary. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly it is our intention with any toll we put in place to have the toll revenues spent on the system from which it is drawn. So in the case of a highway toll, the revenues would go back into highways. The Minister responsible for Transportation has developed a very thorough Highway Strategy and business plan and has had consultation on it. I think there has been much consultation with users and I expect that will continue to be our government's approach. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Highway Strategy and through the discussions on the highway toll, there is no mention of a bridge and it seems like the bridge across the Deh Cho has been ruled out for consideration by this government. I would like to ask the Minister, what capital estimates were provided to him for consideration when they discussed the allocation of the money for this highway toll?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have not been provided with any specific information in terms of the cost of a bridge over the Mackenzie Valley. I can say that through the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development we have been working with the committee that is looking at the feasibility of a plan for building a bridge. We will continue to cooperate with that group. We have certainly not given up on looking at options for having a bridge across the Mackenzie River eventually.

Thank you, Minister Handley. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has indicated that some consultation has taken place on the expenditure of the highway toll. Should the users who are paying the extra fees indicate some proportion of those fees be allocated to a bridge across the Deh Cho, would this government consider that request?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, in a general sense, certainly we would consider that request. More specifically, I think it is something that would need consultation with the Minister responsible for Transportation and his people who are working on the overall strategy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, not too long ago in Parliament, Mr. Pat Martin introduced Private Member's Bill C-203. This bill would amend the Bankruptcy Act to give priority to employee wages and pensions. Earlier this session, I had asked the government if they would consider telling the federal government that we supported the passage of this bill and was assured I would be able to have an answer before the end of session.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Premier, has the government considered Private Member's Bill C-203 and are they prepared to advise the federal government that we support passage of that bill?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have, on a number of occasions, written to the federal government expressing our concern that the current federal legislation does not adequately meet the needs of the people that it is intended to protect, particularly the rights of employees in the event of bankruptcy.

We are aware that there is a private Member's bill. We are also aware that the federal government has said they will undertake a review of their own. What we do know is that it is not clear to us that the bill in question is the best way of addressing the concerns that have been expressed by the workers, the government and the Members of this Legislature as well. We are not clear at this time because we do not have the capacity within the time frame that we have to do a proper assessment of the private Member's bill. So we are not in a position right now to advise the Members of a response we might make or a position we might take with regard to this private Member's bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Supplementary, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe I heard the Premier say we did not have the capacity to do a proper review. Will the Premier consider hiring outside counsel if necessary to do a review so we can determine whether or not this sort of legislation would be in the best interest of our citizens? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Mr. Speaker, we believe that there is some action being taken by the Member of Parliament through his private Member's bill. As well, there is a commitment by the federal government to undertake a review of this matter. We will commit to advising Members shortly on what we are prepared to do with regard to this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Question supplémentaire. Supplementary question, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Premier provide a certain date for that response? In any case, will he commit to it being no later than the beginning of the next session?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. The honourable Premier, Mr. Kakfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will undertake to try to get sufficient advice and research done to advise Cabinet and the Legislature at the beginning of the next session of this Legislature. Thank you.