Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I want to let the Minister know that over the last several past months I have driven on the winter road and driven on the road. I certainly appreciate some of the work that's been done on the winter road there and the bridgework. Certainly appreciation being made by a lot of people. This winter road helps a lot of people. It helps us bring down our prices of the food that we buy outside. We go to Yellowknife and Hay River and Simpson even we do our grocery shopping there. People really appreciate it. It also helps with family vacations, because we each have family and they bring their families out. I guess for myself, Mr. Chairman, that we're progressing as we continue on with our road structure. Again, I ask the Minister in terms of having some real meaningful contact with our people in terms of planning. Which areas need to be looked at from his regional office to come into our region and talk? You know, the work that's going to be done on Big Smith Bridge, the work that's going to be done north of Norman Wells in the Fort Good Hope area. I know Deline's asking for some bridge in the future. So just have some real discussion with us to this work here. It's important to us. The Minister realizes that, because there are other communities that do have winter roads also and into their ridings. I say that cautiously that our region is being actively explored by various oil companies and mining companies to look in the region here as opposed to other regions. So I'm not really speaking too much of those areas because we have that additional oil and gas exploration going on in mining exploration, and we need a little more additional attention to it. So, Mr. Chairman, again I would ask the Minister if his department would consider coming into our region to look at how we could create some safer roads, I guess. They're doing some good work there, but we want to look more closely as to having that consultation for us to take part in our region. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Certainly I have committed already to work with his communities and identify their priorities that they do have. Indications are that we have done so in the past, worked with the communities, identified their priority areas that they want to work on, because we do provide the operating and maintenance of the highways that run in and around his communities. Pressures of resource development are another big factor for him and his constituents as they travel around. They have been contributing to the maintenance of the roads, so that's one of the other ways that help us maintain those roads. But the main thing, I think, for the Member, Mr. Chairman, is that once again we continue to work with his communities and his regions in developing priorities and to improve his roads in his region. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, could I ask the Minister in terms of cost comparison, I guess? I want to ask the Minister if he could provide for me at a later date the comparison in terms of the amount of money that's gone into the winter roads, into our region at least, and to other roads such as Highway No. 3 or the Ingraham Trail or the other highways that's been listed? What's some of the cost comparisons in terms of the expenditures into our roads even for the last 20 years? Or even 10 years? I just want to see some comparisons in terms of the expenditures. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We'd be glad to provide as much information as we can to the Member to provide dollar per kilometre breakdown, but he's just going to have to realize that of course some of them are all-weather roads, some of them are paved roads, et cetera. But we'll be pleased to provide whatever we can to the Member, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Anything further, Mr. Yakeleya?

Thank you. I would look forward to that. Get the information and look forward to asking further questions upon that information. Mr. Chairman, one more last comment I want to make and when I ended up with a question to the Minister in terms of our bridge work in terms of I asked him at another forum here in the House in terms of working with the contractors who put bridges in our communities, who are working, who have contracts, who are from outside the community, who bid and were successful in receiving these contracts to put the bridges up. Could the Minister somehow communicate or let me know if these workers that do come up, they are using local workers and local supplies and equipment as much as they can when they're needed in our communities? If there are specialities that they can have in the communities or region, I can see them going out at other

areas and picking it up. But some of the materials could be utilized in our region that can be supplied by our own communities. I would ask the Minister if that's something that is considered when they award contracts to outside contractors. I want to leave it at that, Mr. Chairman.

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Certainly awarding of contracts, not only in this department but in all the departments, are governed by our business incentive policy, and one of them is that as many companies say and do negotiate with local communities that they will use as much local and hire as much local as they can and that's their obligation and we do, as a department, monitor that and check on them. We do evaluate that, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That's where they underbid, sometimes, our workers. That's where they drive our costs down and drive our businesses out. We get under bid by outside contractors. They bring in their own fuel, they don't buy food off of people, they use their own equipment. They use their own skidoos to bring it in. They don't even rent skidoos off our own people. Simple little things like that that make a difference from outside contractors coming into our community or into our regions. That's what we're asking. Is that how they're going to do business in the future? These contractors could drive our business. We might as well pack up our bags and go home. But we're asking that our people pay taxes in our communities, they want to work and stay there and put people to work. We don't want another company coming in and driving our business out of our community or region. That's not the incentive of this government, I hope. But you do want a fair value for fair pricing, but sometimes you're basing southern prices on northern work and our people stay in our region and work there. They pay the taxes. They have their children growing up there. So I guess that's what I'm asking. I think, Mr. Chairman, I think I've said enough to the Minister. In closing, I want to say people do appreciate the winter roads.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Yakeleya. No question there. Next on the list I have Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 8-9, Mr. Chairman, is quite a bit of detail about the, oh gosh, there's probably 15 or 18 projects for the $37 million projected for highway projects this year. Mr. Chairman, if we look at the three-year budget projections plus future years, these projects combine for a breathtaking $183 million in projected spending. We look forward to every penny, Mr. Chairman, being well spent. The specific question that I have, and I know that other Members have asked this or have asked questions about the Mackenzie Valley winter road bridge program, and I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman, if I'm going to be repeating a line of questioning here.

But I did want to see if we could look at the aspect of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and the continuance of that whole project. Much of the impetus behind the winter road bridge program is to be prepared for that project and the, not just building the main big pipeline, but the continuance of exploration and things that we know or that we hope will happen afterward. Mr. Chairman, this year alone we're looking at spending $13 million on Mackenzie winter bridge projects. The combined total for this after 2010 is $31 million.

Mr. Chairman, my question is if at some point in the near or far future we learn that the Mackenzie Valley pipeline is not to be committed to, are we still going to continue with these expenditures even though the main economic reason for putting them in is no longer going to be on the table?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. The Member brings up a valid point, but it's like a hypothetical situation of what's going to happen if this happens or how are we going to spend money if that happens. That's one of the reasons why we vote on money every year to be flexible and re-identify priorities. However, I think in this case we are working towards establishing our infrastructure and the government is supportive of it through the strategic infrastructure fund that's there. All indications are that they'll continue to fund it in the new infrastructure funding that should be forthcoming, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Mahsi. Mr. Braden.

Yes, okay. The value of it certainly does not escape me. The Minister said, well, it's hypothetical if the project doesn't go. It's hypothetical if the project is going to go, Mr. Minister. So we are making very optimistic and forward-looking investments that I support, but what I wanted to explore...I know the Minister understands this. If we get a definite decision that says no, the project cannot or will not happen, what then? Are we going to continue making these multi-million dollar expenditures, Mr. Chairman, if there is no likelihood of a return? That's what I wanted to know. Not that there aren't other economic reasons in the Mackenzie Valley to make these kind of bridge programs worthwhile, but I am wondering what is the linkage to the gas project itself and the viability of this bridge project if the gas project is not to be?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Mahsi, Mr. Minister. Mr. Braden.

Thank you. I think I have my answer. It's a good one. The way I heard this, Mr. Chairman, is this expenditure is not linked to the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline. They are going ahead with it regardless. Okay.