Mr. Chairman, yes, I have opening comments. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to appear today before Committee of the Whole to consider Bill 13, Deh Cho Bridge Act.

Almost everyone in the Northwest Territories knows the costs, inefficiencies and inconveniences of having our transportation links cut seasonally for uncertain periods of time. Freeze-up, of course, comes during our Christmas season and can play havoc with our plans for the holidays. Students are caught at break-up trying to return from postsecondary schools in southern Canada. The first motor tourists of the season make the unhappy discovery that spring comes later in the North than it does in the South. Shipments we're counting on are delayed and do not arrive when we need them. The prices of consumer perishables are subject to the added costs of alternative transportation and extra handling. We pay either the direct cost of carrying extra inventories to get us through the interruption, or the indirect cost of doing without items we need because stockpiles are depleted.

The proposed Deh Cho Bridge will eliminate the supply irregularities in the day-to-day operation of our North Slave economies and beyond. Anyone who has been subject to these unpredictable disruptions will recognize the benefits of dependable transportation.

There is no practical way of measuring the economic benefits of reliable transportation exactly. Some people, no doubt, will benefit more or less than others. Some businesses will benefit more or less than others. Some communities might benefit more or less than others. There is no way to calibrate the toll rates so finally as to take into account the precise economic benefits of a permanent bridge crossing.

We want a system of tolls that is simple to administer and that people can easily understand. A more complex system that tried to tie toll charges to measurable economic benefits would have intolerably high administration costs. Suffice it to say that everyone who has been subject to disruptions in the ferry service at Fort Providence will appreciate the big difference a permanent bridge will make. People are willing to accept toll charges that are collected efficiently and go directly to paying down the bridge.

The Deh Cho Bridge Act is the essential enabling legislation that will authorize the Minister of Transportation and the Government of the Northwest Territories to enter into a public/private partnership with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. As set out in the memorandum of agreement of November 15, 2002, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation will obtain the regulatory approvals, raise the financial capital, design, build and operate and maintain a highway bridge over the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence. Under this arrangement, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation is a true partner with government in the construction and operation of this new piece of highway infrastructure. As this is much more than a conventional contractual relationship, the legislative authority is required to give the Minister of Transportation and the Executive Council the authority to complete the partnership arrangement.

Mr. Chairman, I think we should all be pleased with the provisions of Bill 13 that make the disposition of toll revenue clear and transparent for all parties, directly or indirectly affected by the tolls. The proposed Deh Cho Bridge is a large capital infrastructure commitment for which the government will assume financial obligations that it must carry over the next 35 years. The government will meet its obligations mainly through the collection of tolls. It is in everyone's interest that the collection and disbursement of the toll revenues should be subject to the test of public scrutiny.

Bill 13 establishes a special purpose Deh Cho Bridge fund to enable the close monitoring of the toll revenues in and out of a special fund. In addition, the bill requires the Minister to prepare an annual report on the transactions of the Deh Cho Bridge fund. With these transparency provisions in place, I have every confidence that the management and administration of the toll rates and revenues will be subject to close and open scrutiny. The Assembly, the public at large, the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation and the trucking industry should all be satisfied that the toll rates in effect at a given time are sufficient to meet the government's obligations, and are directed solely to that purpose. It is in no one's interest that year after year the bridge fund should accumulate either a surplus or a deficit. The government of the day will be anxious to demonstrate that its administration of the toll rates strikes just the right balance between payables and receivables.

In short, Mr. Chairman, Bill 13 has all the mechanisms in place to ensure that the toll rates and revenues are managed soundly.

The Deh Cho Bridge Act is an important piece of legislation that has been carefully drafted for this special purpose of enabling a public/private partnership to build a bridge across the Mackenzie River. I think all of the Members will agree that the proposed Deh Cho Bridge is a worthwhile and long overdue addition to the territorial transportation system. I urge all Members to give their support to the Deh Cho Bridge. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

---Applause