Thank you very much, Madam Chair. At this time I would like to address to the Minister that certainly there is some good news in the approach to his department for the 2004-04 budget year. I just want to stress at this time some of the needs for Highway No. 1 that runs towards Fort Simpson is that some of the comments that I have been receiving, particularly throughout the campaign period, was that definitely the highway has a big impact on our tourism season this year only because Simpson is on the northern loop that passes through Enterprise, Hay River, Fort Simpson and back down to the BC border. What has been happening is that there are some potholes being created and we are not too sure, for whatever reason they weren't being maintained on a regular basis. So what is happening is that people are coming up with their $200,000 motor homes, all they have to do is hit a few of the potholes and they were turning around. As a result, just like anything else, the best advertisement is word of mouth. So they are going home and they are telling their buddies that there is no sense going through there because you have your huge investment, your big motor home, and it is just going to get damaged or potentially damaged. So we believe that there was a slight impact in terms of the tourism industry because, I don't want to go so far as to say the lack of maintenance of the road because I am sure that they are doing their best, but some sections just keep collapsing even after they refill it. I would just like to stress to the Minister that it does indeed need more capital expenditures. I am not too sure how they repair those roads, but it has to be a focus the next time around.

Another interest that I would like to present is the small community of Nahanni Butte; they are looking towards improving their access to Fort Simpson and to other communities by developing their access road. There is a bit of a plan in place right now, and I think they were spending I believe around $200,000 a year towards the improvement of that road. What they are asking me is that if it is possible if we will be able to look at somehow compressing the schedule, because I think it was over six or seven years it would be before final completion. If there is somehow we could compress that and get that road at least almost semi-year-round as soon as possible. So that is one of the things I will be pitching to the Minister.

Those are my thoughts on the opening comments, Madam Chair. Thank you very much.