Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a sensitive issue and I guess one we should be...When we are talking and having a discussion or debating in this forum and people out there are listening to the discussion and think that we have patients in paper gowns with a cotton sheet and then a bay window and it is wide open, let's be accurate here. That is not happening. In fact, if it is, then we definitely have to deal with that, but I know it is not happening. The issue, though, is sensitive when we do lose family in our facilities through illness, and that has to be looked at and has to be dealt with appropriately. I will work through the department and with health authorities, through the joint leadership committee to try to address issues around this when it comes to the

comfort of patients in our facilities and looking at all considerations that are possible, both safety side as well as comfort for individuals in our facilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Maybe I will just give the Member a little bit of history. This is an ongoing issue that NAV Canada has been looking at in the North. In fact, in 1998, they issued a study called the Service Review of Northern and Remote Areas. The purpose of the study was to determine if NAV Canada's service delivery was in accordance with the requirement of northern customers. Basically what that means is that if they are providing the level of service that is necessary for the North, and they determined that it was good at that time, part of their plans were to relocate the flight information centres to Ontario. We had put it off once or twice but they finally executed the decision to relocate since they established a fully operational centre in Ontario there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have to tell the Minister of Transportation how vitally important the aviation industry is here in the Northwest Territories. I also don't have to tell him how different the Northwest Territories is in terms of we don't have a detailed highway system, a well developed highway system like much of southern Canada. We are different. This decision...and I am to believe in a letter that the former Minister of Transportation wrote to NAV Canada last July that said the decision was improper. I want to know how come the government is not standing up to NAV Canada and demanding that this weather centre be re-established here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to our government, what had occurred too there, Mr. Speaker, was that in May of 2006, NAV Canada did decide to relocate. I believe it was at that point the Minister indicated our displeasure of relocating the flight information centre. But their decision was based on a July meeting that NAV Canada had in the North. They had a consultation process, as it were. At that point, there was no stern objections by any of the carriers noted at that time, so they just proceeded with their decision to relocate the office then, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that is part of the problem. The consultation process took place in the month of July here in the Northwest Territories. We know that the folks are busy. It is a very difficult time to get people together for consultation. I would suggest that the government write back to NAV Canada demanding that that consultation take place again, because I am certain that they will get a different reply. Again, I point to media stories in the local media today even in Yellowknife that suggest that departmental officials are saying that it is no great concern that this service has been pulled out of Yellowknife and is now located in North Bay, Ontario. To me, Mr. Speaker, it is a big concern. It should be a concern of the government. I would like that to be addressed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with that, Mr. Speaker, absolutely the service provider to northerners are a priority of our government and that we do stand to help our northern carriers to ensure that services provided by NAV Canada meets the needs of our northern operators. With that being said, these additional comments and objections being raised will be taken very seriously by our department and forwarded over to NAV Canada, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, another issue that I have with this is the letter that the former Minister wrote to NAV Canada last July, the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development, to my knowledge, had no knowledge of this flight information centre being relocated to North Bay. We had no opportunity to debate this. We had no opportunity to question government. We had no opportunity, no

avenue for input. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister if he will open this up again, if he will show the Governance and Economic Development committee the reply that the former Minister got from NAV Canada. Let's put it on the table and let's discuss it. I don't think it is too late to get this weather centre back and up and running here in Yellowknife. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it is important to know that at this point our government has been providing the space at the airport. We are kind of outside the process in terms of NAV Canada does provide to the air carriers and it is their decision. With that being said, Mr. Speaker, I do believe that we can bring forward these new concerns. Like the Member said, consultation was done in July and it was probably a poor time to do it, but to base their decision on that is perhaps not proper consultation. I can commit to the Member that I welcome the new concerns to NAV Canada. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for a number of years, I have been talking about the Tuk-Inuvik highway. I guess there was a lot of discussion going on about the all-weather road between Tuk and Inuvik; also the access to source 177. Back in December, I had an opportunity to meet in Inuvik with the deputy minister of Transportation, the Inuvialuit Land Administration staff in Tuktoyaktuk and myself along with some councillors in Tuk and Inuvik. What has come out of that meeting since the meeting in December when they were supposed to come out and submit an application to ILA to get the process going for the access road to source 177? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to advise the Member that the discussions with the communities are ongoing and we recently met with the communities to talk about the construction of the access road from Tuktoyaktuk to source 177, which is approximately 22 kilometres away from the community. The department, with these discussions, are looking at the permitting process for the road as well as to actually construct the road, the additional resources as well would certainly be required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At that time in Inuvik, it was very clear, Mr. Speaker, that the department would submit an application to ILA. We are now just about in the middle of February and there is still no headway going in regard to the application. Will the Minister indicate to the Members here on this side, Mr. Speaker, that the application will go through to ILA within the next couple of weeks? Thank you.