Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be speaking on transportation as well here today. I would like to talk about the beauty of the Deh Cho and the great opportunity that we have with the Deh Cho Tribal Connection. I am talking about the Deh Cho trail and portions of Highways No. 1 and 7 that make a perfectly round trip on the lower NWT for tourists coming from Alberta passing through Hay River, through several smaller Deh Cho communities providing a connection to Fort Simpson before winding down beside the Liard River and Fort Liard to British Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, this portion of our public highway system is what is promoted as the Deh Cho Tribal Connection to national and international visitors. There is a brochure and map about this trip on the ITI’s website. It is even translated into French and German. That is how important this road connection is for this government. The Deh Cho Tribal Connection is promoted as a drivable wilderness, which begs the question, Mr. Speaker, is this highway supposed to be drivable or wild? As we all know, after the turnoff to Yellowknife, it becomes less drivable and turns into a gravel road.
Mr. Speaker, our roads are not only used by tourists but residents of the Deh Cho and Nahendeh riding. They travel frequently within this region and to the larger centres. They use the highways year round and probably also enjoy the beautiful scenery along the road. They are very much concerned about the safety of the road. This brings me to the point that both residents and visiting users of the Deh Cho trail have in common. They are concerned about the road conditions of Highways No. 1 and 7 and they are concerned about their safety when driving through this drivable wilderness.
Mr. Speaker, for the sake of road safety and for the benefits of promoting highway tourism in the NWT, we need to make sure that our gravel road is at least properly maintained. Soft spots and potholes create road hazards for the drivers of these highways. An immediate action we need on Highways No. 1 and 7 is to be frequently and properly graded and compacted and maintained, as well. Mr. Speaker, I see I am running out of time. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.