Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Chairman, there has been work done on the Tlicho winter road. We've done some work in terms of looking at realignment. We've done some minor improvements such as widening the road and things of that nature. In terms of building, I'm assuming the Member is requesting why we haven't invested in an all-weather road. Up to now, there has been no coordinated support from the communities to come forward and approve that. The Treaty 11 Tribal Council had indicated some time ago that there was no desire to see an all-weather road and we have requested to the communities that have come forward to talk about a new route or all-weather road that would be part of this whole idea to provide us with a letter of comfort and we have not seen that to date. We haven't seen any BCR...

---Interjection

I've not seen a BCR or any letters from the community governments, to date, indicating that they're interested in an all-weather road. They have indicated to us verbally that they are wanting to talk about that. We have committed that we will start working towards putting a proposal together for the Tlicho communities and we have already started on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd just like to focus on the previous Assembly where the Minister of Transportation at that time made a commitment to the North Slave MLA at that time to pursue with DIAND an all-weather road for the Tlicho region. I would like to ask the current Minister of Transportation what the status is on these commitments that were made in the previous government? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have had several discussions with the Department of Indian Affairs. They've invested in this road. They've, this year, allocated additional dollars for this road. We've also managed to set up a partnership arrangement for the road that was leading into Colomac and also into Wekweeti. We are now, as a department, the oversight agency that looks after all the winter roads. This was in response to the chief of Wekweeti wanting us to arrange so that the season could be open longer. Over the history of this road there is only, I think, a one-month window that the community is able to get in and out. So we have taken over the responsibility of managing that project and we're hoping that we will be able to open the road earlier and extend the season.

The indication, as the Member has referenced as to money being earmarked as part of the budget for Corridors for Canada II is, I think would be very obvious that we are very interested in developing this road. As resource development continues to put pressures on our winter road systems, we are really being pressured by the communities to do so. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The time for oral questions has expired. I will allow the Member a final supplementary. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister indicated, Treaty 11 didn't have the desire to proceed with the all-weather road at that time. But with the global warming, the thinking has changed where there's a new desire now from the communities that we visited last week, the three communities that have the winter road access, Mr. Speaker. New government, new initiative, new resolution will be forthcoming. That's been that message the day that I met with the chiefs.

Anyways, Mr. Speaker, my final question is, it's hard to say there will be a winter road this year to the two outlying communities with the weather changes, which those two communities fully utilize the winter road, which has a huge impact on the communities and also GNWT as a whole. I'd like to ask the Minister if he would commit to developing an action plan to pursue all-weather road initiative in the Tlicho region and also meet with the Tlicho representative as soon as possible, particularly dealing with the corridors for Highway No. 2? Maybe part of that plan can be an all-weather road. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have no problem making that commitment. Up to now we've been getting some mixed messages from the Tlicho leadership in terms of community leaders versus the regional leaders. We are looking forward to more work in this area. We hope that we'll be able to get a good understanding of what the communities want. We have committed and are planning a trip through the Member's riding this spring and we'll have the opportunity to have some good open discussion about where we want to go with this. We have already embarked on doing some of the technical research. We are looking at the economic business case of roads in the Tlicho region. So we have come part way on it. We have a lot of work to do. We need the communities to be there to support it and work with us on it. So I certainly will commit to working with the communities, working with the Member and the leadership of the Tlicho. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The time for oral questions has expired. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Point Of Order

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My apologies, but just on reflection a few minutes ago I realized in thinking about the responses from the Premier, I had only thought of it a moment ago that he'd just said I could not read. So I'd like to call the Premier on a point of order under 23(k) and (l). This is the earliest moment I had thought about this and reading Beauchesne's book, under 319 a Member is entitled, even bound, to bring this to the Speaker's attention immediately that they've noticed that. Like I say, it just occurred to me as I was thinking about this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member has risen on a point of order. Mr. Hawkins, the point of order that you're referring to was referring to comments made by the Premier in response to a question earlier today. I'm going to rule that point of order should have been brought up at the time. We're going from memory now from previous comments that were made in the House. So I'm going to rule that you do not have a point of order based on it should have been brought up at the time the comments were made.

Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the opening address. . Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Tabling of documents. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled, Energy Conservation Action Plan Update, February 8, 2006. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Tabling of documents. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table two documents. Both of them are from the YWCA of Yellowknife. One is a press release dated February 10th entitled NGOs Getting Short End of the Stick, and another one a letter from the president of the board of the YWCA of Yellowknife to the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding long-term multi-year funding agreements with non-government organizations, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, February 23rd, 2006, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that this Legislative Assembly recognizes Deline, Northwest Territories, as the birthplace of ice hockey.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will seek unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Notices of motion. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. Motions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave earlier today.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with the motion he gave notice of earlier today. Are there any nays? There are no nays. The motion is being circulated to Members now. Mr. Yakeleya, you can proceed with your motion.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, honourable colleagues.

WHEREAS ice hockey is Canada's number one sport;

AND WHEREAS Sir John Franklin's writings refer to hockey being played on the ice of Grey Goose Lake near the present-day community of Deline, formerly Fort Franklin, by the shores of Great Bear Lake, in October 1825;

AND WHEREAS Sir John Franklin's writings of 1825 predate other documents referring to hockey being played on ice in Windsor, Nova Scotia; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; and Kingston, Ontario; all of which have claimed to be the birthplace of hockey;

AND WHEREAS ice hockey continues to be a favourite pastime, and a fundamental part of the social and recreational fabric of Deline and communities across the Northwest Territories and Canada;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that this Legislative Assembly recognizes Deline, Northwest Territories, as the birthplace of ice hockey.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.