Just in response to the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, this project, in my eyes, is doable. I think we have two departments who have the expertise in-house to deal with it. I think the communities are not saying they will not contribute. I think the communities can contribute by way of gravel or support from the community, either through hamlet equipment or labour or what not.
This is a project that, as far as I can see, is long overdue. I am talking about communities that are on our present highway systems. I do not think there are too many of those communities who have a population over 500. I think we are talking about communities like Fort Resolution, maybe Fort Providence, Fort McPherson, Rae-Edzo.
For us doing this, I think it sets an example to the Northwest Territories and to our tourists who come into our communities that we do have something to offer. If someone is on their way to Inuvik, that we have decent streets and they do not go back south and say "Do not drive up the Dempster Highway because there is nothing but mud and potholes and you will be eating dust all the time."
I think that we have to improve our communities in some manner. I think this project is doable in the context that we have the Department of Transportation that presently has the people in place to deal with paving and maintaining highways and roads. They do have equipment. We have the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs who have a responsibility and they have experience within the larger centres.
In my view, we have tried a compromise in this resolution by allowing the other communities to realize we are not talking every community in the Northwest Territories. We are talking about the larger communities in the context of a population over 500 and also, you have to be connected to the highway system in the Northwest Territories. So because of that, I think this is doable.