Mahsi cho, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my constituents and I are in support of the Deh Cho Bridge. This act is also something I support. It enables the government to negotiate with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation.
I have a concern, though, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the concern I have is the method which we will use to pay for the bridge. That decision is not final, but I would like to make my opinion known today so that it could be part of the consideration and possibly negotiations.
The idea right now is to toll trucks that cross the bridge. These are the trucks that deliver goods and supplies to the city of Yellowknife, which it also supplies to the communities of Gameti, Wekweti, Wha Ti and Lutselk'e. I think, Mr. Chairman, that whoever crosses that bridge should pay the toll. Industry should not be targeted. BHP alone will have to pay an extra $1 million a year if the method of tolling is just on heavy trucks. I don't think that's fair to BHP; I don't think that's fair to Diavik or any other industry that relies on resupply using the bridge. They are already a big contributor to our northern economy, they're the economic backbone of the Northwest Territories right now. If BHP pays an extra $1 million a year, that means the federal government gets $1 million less in royalties. That means the land claims groups will get less in benefits, because they get a percentage of all royalties that come out of the Northwest Territories and I don't think that's fair to the land claims groups.
I've been talking to many people in the Northwest Territories, and people are willing to pay to cross the bridge. It's not anything new, it's being done all over the country, all over the world, Mr. Chairman.
Again, Mr. Chairman, I do support the bridge. Another reason why I say that everybody should pay... In the communities that I mentioned, the majority of people don't own vehicles because there are no roads into those communities, and why should they pay out of their pockets the extra costs they might incur in their stores, in the Co-op in Lutselk'e, the stores in Wha Ti? Why should those people have to pay more for their supplies and service because of the method of how we collect the tolls? The idea now, Mr. Chairman, is in 35 years' time the bridge will be transferred to the GNWT for ownership. That's a territorial bridge, owned by the people of the Northwest Territories and why should that bridge be paid for only by people living north of the river, or the people who depend on the city of Yellowknife for resupply? It's just not fair.
So for the consideration of my colleagues in the House, the Minister responsible and for the people negotiating the Deh Cho Bridge -- the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation -- that should be something that is seriously considered. People don't mind paying a few bucks to cross a bridge. It's nothing new. Maybe, Mr. Chairman, you could reduce the time that we are anticipating for the ownership of the bridge to go into the GNWT's hands. But the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation would pay their investments back.
So, Mr. Chairman, today and tomorrow I will be lobbying for this. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.