Mahsi, Mr. McLeod. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize a couple of constituents in the gallery. Mr. Les Blake from Fort McPherson and Debbie Greenland from Aklavik. I'd also like to welcome everyone else in the gallery.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Gaylene Oskenekisses from Wrigley, as well, and welcome all her classmates. Mahsi.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Menicoche. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think everybody's been recognized except for one person. I'd like to recognize a close friend, Ms. Janet Marshall, who is one of the instructors with the course.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. I'd also like to recognize a constituent of mine, Ms. Carol Beck, and welcome to anybody else who hasn't been recognized yet.

---Applause

Enjoy our proceedings this afternoon. Oral questions.

---Laughter

Oral questions. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to be first at the trough.

---Applause

Just with respect to the article in the Yellowknifer on Wednesday, March 1st, with respect to gas guzzlers may pay more for registration. Which means that the larger vehicles, of which I have lots in my constituencies in the communities, we need those larger vehicles, they're saying that because people own larger vehicles that their cost of registration will be that much more. Is this true, Mr. Speaker?

Mahsi, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister for Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the newspaper article referenced some initiatives that were taken by our Department of Transportation to look at reducing energy use. As part of the energy conservation action plan that was tabled in this House by our Premier, our intent with that initiative was to look at the concept of finding a way of rewarding people who used energy-efficient vehicles. It was not intended to look at increasing the cost of registration for vehicles that are of high consumption, but rather to look at what can be done to encourage use of vehicles that use less energy or less gas. It's something that we're looking at, or investigating, and have looked at other jurisdictions, but are moving away from this whole concept. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I was just wondering who sits on this committee because the last time I drove to Fort Simpson, there wasn't a plug-in half way where I could plug in my hybrid vehicle, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

So how far along has this plan progressed? I hope it's not something that's going to happen April 1st here. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I wasn't aware the Member had a hybrid vehicle that he could plug in.

Mr. Speaker, we have taken the opportunity to review a number of initiatives across the government to see how we could incorporate better use of our facilities, our vehicles, and ways we can save on energy. This is one of them. This is something we thought might be of use. We've looked at it. We've looked at what's happening in other jurisdictions. We're not satisfied it's going to work all that well, so we are moving away from it. So it's not going to happen April 1st. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to get that clarified because there are lots of misconceptions out there, especially, like I said, in the small communities who depend...Our hybrid vehicle is the four-by-four.

---Laughter

Just with that, is the government even looking at hybrids themselves before they start forcing other people to move to smaller vehicles? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, yes, we are looking at ways we can do things better and more efficient. We're looking at trying to incorporate some hybrid vehicles. We do have plug-ins in the communities that allow us to use them. We're looking at smart programs, smart driving programs for our employees that will require them to shut off their vehicles rather than leaving them running. We're looking at putting remote heaters in some of our larger equipment so they don't have to idle for long periods of time. So there's a number of things we're doing. We're also trying to incorporate alternate energy systems for heat in some of our new buildings and we're looking at pellet stoves and all these types of initiatives. We're trying to do a number of things and this was one of them. We've, as I said earlier, moved away from it. It was not an attempt to increase the fees, as the paper has interpreted it, but was rather to target trying to reduce the fees for registration for people that are taking the initiative to buy or have vehicles that are energy efficient. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, in the case of the communities where they don't have emergency backup generators for their airports, we expect the communities to use the flare pots that are available. In the event that there is a power outage or an emergency, that is the process that's in place and that is acceptable for the federal legislation in the airports act. Thank you.