Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Activity summary, airports, operations expenditure summary, $26.843 million.

Thank you. Page 9-19, activity summary, airports, grants and contributions, total grants and contributions, $25,000.

That's such a small number, I couldn't read it. Page 9-23, activity summary, highways, operations expenditure summary, $42.786 million. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Once again I would like to just bring up my concern regarding access to source 177 which is in line with the highway to Tuk and Inuvik. What kind of details can the Minister provide if there are any new discussions with the federal Minister of Transportation with regard to the Tuk-Inuvik highway?

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak, for keeping that in our consciousness. Mr. Miltenberger. I mean Menicoche, I'm sorry.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Further to the discussions with the Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik tech road committee, we did have discussions in December with regard to permitting and getting access to source 177 and discussions are ongoing. The details of the permitting process are being worked out. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I was at that meeting when we had that meeting in Inuvik, Madam Chair. I am just wondering, we could talk about it in December, we are now into February and we are probably into a new year coming up now and I pretty well know the process of how to get the permits that are required for an access road. I would like to ask the Minister, Madam Chair, with regard to the 80-kilometre highway between Tuk and Inuvik, as I said earlier in my opening comments, I think Corridors for Canada II, Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast is one thing. I would like to ask the Minister has there been any headway to identify funding in their upcoming budget in March that the feds are going to come out with that they will actually put money into this Tuk-Inuvik highway? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Absolutely. Our Mackenzie Valley road includes the Tuk to Inuvik segment and it remains a priority of our government in all our strategy documents; Corridors for Canada I, Corridors for Canada II, as well as Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast. I, myself, as a new Minister, did make my trip to Ottawa. I did pound on doors and met with the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Mr. Cannon over there and indicated our government's desire to continue with this project. In fact, they do indicate, too, that it is hinged on development of a Mackenzie gas project, as well. They just don't see how they can do it if there is no...For them it is a road to resources issue as well as many of our roads are in the Slave Geological Province as well. It is how they consider it. So if the resources are there, then it is time to build roads to get at it. We continue to press the matter with the federal government. There are just no indications of any type of special announcement for the Mackenzie Valley highway other than...We are in the dark, along with all the rest of Canada, awaiting the March 19th budget speech from the federal government.

In terms of the Tuk to Inuvik highway, I must be missing 20 kilometres because our research is saying it is 140 kilometres for the Member there. In 1999 dollars, Madam Chair, it was pegged at $100 million from Tuk to Inuvik. We haven't been using that figure for a while. We have been using it in Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast where there was $700 million for the whole segment, to complete the whole road. That is the number we are using these days, Madam Chair. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't think we should rely on the road to resources. I think, as a government, we should take that stand and actually connect the three oceans together, Pacific, Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Once you do that, you are opening up a whole new highway that is going to go from coast to coast to coast. If you do that, you are opening up...People will have jobs. The economy will be really hustling and bustling up there. I think we can't just rely on what the

federal government is saying. I think we should just get the feds to commit to the long-term dream of what goes back to what Diefenbaker dreamed when he actually went up to Inuvik to finish the Dempster Highway. I think we should continue that dream and continue to complete that road to Tuktoyaktuk from Inuvik and it will bring a lot of benefits back to the Beaufort-Delta, not only for Beaufort-Delta but people along the valley will utilize that some day. The tourists will always go up to Inuvik and they fly down to Tuk. If they build that road, they can drive all the way up. They can dip their toes in the Arctic like they want to do. In reality, I think we should try and get something done with that.

The discussion about the documents that we are talking about, it is a dream, but I think we should pursue that, put our foot down and pursue it. Let's get something done to complete the highway. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Absolutely, I don't disagree with the Member and his desire to complete the road to the Arctic Ocean. We continue to press the matter with the federal government. We continue to maintain that any new roads are a federal government responsibility. Even in 1999 dollars, it is still $100 million question as well. Once again, the federal government is linking systems infrastructure development to resources, Madam Chair. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to go on to another one. In my general comments, I talked about the hamlet of Ulukhaktok talking about building a new bridge to connect there. The bridge that they have presently in Ulukhaktok from the airport to the community is fairly old now. So they are talking about trying to get a new bridge built in that location. I am just wondering if the Minister will consider sitting down with myself and the hamlet to look at the engineering that might be required. Thank you for that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes, I will be willing to sit down with the Member to discuss the bridge at Ulukhaktok and we did, in the past, work with MACA to do repairs to that bridge. I would be pleased to help initiate discussions on how to replace or repair Ulukhaktok's bridge. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will sit down with the Minister and we will take a look at the bridge that is connecting the airport to the hamlet of Ulukhaktok. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Activity summary, highways, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to ask the Minister in terms of the highways into our region. I understand there were some discussions earlier today in terms of the highways up to the Tlicho area in terms of realigning the new corridors up in that area. There was also some discussion on the Beaufort-Delta. I want to ask the Minister in terms of the support into our region. I know it has been a long time in waiting. I think Cece McCauley has been one of the strongest advocate persons for our region anyhow. However, it takes a lot of work. It requires a lot of planning and dollars in terms of upgrading our road system in our region, the winter road system. When can we see some significant improvements? We are seeing some improvements, but not, according to my region, significant enough. There are still some pretty big hills and some forms that need to really cut down and safety issues. I want to ask the Minister in terms of the winter roads in our region. Thank you.