Mr. Speaker, I went home for lunch yesterday and I was pondering out loud what I should make my Member's statement on, and my son was there -- Jordan -- and he said, Mom, talk about the bridge. So to the younger generation this is a very, very important thing.
We're kind of nostalgic about the ferry and that gravel that used to come as far as Manning, Alberta. We talk about the old days. But we can't stop progress. So the Deh Cho Bridge will provide an all-season link to Fort Providence, Fort Rae and Yellowknife, and this is long overdue. There will be increased tourist traffic once the bridge and the paving is completed, and the uncertainties of ferry and ice bridge openings and closings are removed.
Mr. Speaker, increased tourist traffic means more people stopping along the way and purchasing goods and services. This is good for business and will result in increased economic development to meet the demands for more goods and services.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, the mines serviced by the winter road going north of Yellowknife will benefit from an all-season link to the south. Marshalling activities related to transporting of materials can take place in Hay River, Enterprise and Yellowknife without having to worry about whether you can get your goods across the river when it's time to transport north. This could reduce the strain on our highways by spreading out the load over a longer period of time and also make it safer for members of the public travelling on our highways in the winter.
The Deh Cho Bridge is also good for the environment. Mr. Speaker, we all remember when the fuel tanker broke through the ice bridge a few years back, and how lucky we were that there were no serious environmental consequences. The bridge will make it safer to transport hazardous materials all year long. The people living downriver should be relieved that the potential for environmental damage will be reduced by the completion of this bridge.
I also believe, Mr. Speaker, that the construction of the Deh Cho Bridge will be good for consumers north of the lake by reducing the costs passed on to them during freeze-up and break-up cycles. Of course, that cost of living will never rival the low cost of living in places like Hay River and Fort Smith, though.
Mr. Speaker, the construction of the Deh Cho Bridge is an example of what can be accomplished by a small community when they are willing to work together to find a solution to a common challenge and to achieve a net benefit for their people. The Fort Providence Combined Council Alliance, along with the Government of the Northwest Territories, is to be commended for working together on developing an economically viable bridge across the Deh Cho that will ultimately benefit all residents of the Northwest Territories. I wish the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation every success and look forward to driving across this bridge in 2005. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause