Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Transportation, as well. Mr. Speaker, last year the shortened winter road season cost the diamond mines an additional hundred million dollars. This year they're trying to jam through 10,000 loads to get to the mines hopefully on an ice road that will last the full planned time. It's going to mean a tremendous amount of traffic on the road, on the all-weather road, on the winter road through the community of Yellowknife. Just to the north of them you have four communities, three communities that are desperately looking for some kind of road service, barely a good couple stone throws away from Highway No. 3 in Yellowknife. We have an opportunity made in transportation heaven here to bring two good issues

together, have one road that would meet both objectives; an all-weather road through the Tlicho done in consultation with the Tlicho Government that would hook up the communities of the Tlicho, carry on north into the diamond mines to allow year-round provisioning. This would take an enormous burden off the Highway No. 3 portion from Yellowknife to Rae. It would also take an enormous amount of pressure off the congestion and traffic concerns in the city of Yellowknife. It would allow the people of the Tlicho to be able to have a staging area and an economic opportunity that was entirely in keeping in their area.

So I would like to ask the Minister, has he had yet any discussions with the grand chief or does he intend to have any discussions with the grand chief about this particular initiative? It is not a new one. Thank you.