Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final question would be on the plan that is coming due in the next couple of weeks. Is that part of the consultation with the Tlicho Community Services Agency, the Behchoko Community Government, and also the Behchoko Community Corporation? Have they consulted with those parties? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, no, we haven't yet discussed it with the Tlicho. What we want to do is look at what is possible first. I wanted to take that to Cabinet. If there is agreement at the Cabinet table to do that, then we would move ahead with discussing from that list of possibilities what would realistically be transferred. Mr. Speaker, money, of course, is always an issue; how much is it going to cost us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my questions today to the Minister of Transportation. It is in regard to the city bypass road that is proposed to be constructed from Highway No. 3 to Kam Lake Industrial Park. The reason I am standing up here today is this is opportunity number six or seven that I have had to stand up in the House and question the Minister of Transportation on the status of this much needed bypass road. Again today, I am here and I am going to ask the Minister of Transportation again. Where on the radar is the bypass road if it is not included in any of the budget documents that were presented today? Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to the bypass road for the city of Yellowknife, and the Member is well aware, it is viewed typically as a City of Yellowknife initiative. However, our government has been in discussions with them to help facilitate the planning of that bypass road. The recent incidents of the past couple years where the exit to Yellowknife was shut down is, of course, a concern. But I would like to report that there is some progress in discussing this project with the City of Yellowknife officials. As the Member is aware, as well, the project had been held up with the issues surrounding the land and the Akaitcho process and now that land transfers have happened, the discussions with the city can continue, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of public safety should be first and foremost in the mind of the government when it's dealing with this road. I know it's a municipal bypass road. I've argued in

the past that it could have been included in negotiations with the federal government or included in plans like Corridors for Canada, and included as part of the highway system because we only have one road into and out of the capital city. We can't forget that public safety should be our primary concern here.

I'd like to ask the Minister, and obviously it's going to have to be a partnership between the city and the GNWT, how much is the Department of Transportation going to put on the table to make sure that this road gets completed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The most recent meeting with the officials was last week and both the city and our government have agreed, of course, to continue moving the project forward. But there are many issues that have to be resolved yet and one of them is what the Member had requested, which is the funding of the road. Actually, ownership is also a big question, O and M, adjacent land use, as well. They have to be considered. As we move forward, there's many considerations that have to be taken for this project. There's hope that significant progress can be made in the next few months in regard to these issues, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister of Transportation if, in fact, he may, as negotiations go on here, I think the deal has to be mutually beneficial, as I mentioned in my statement, to both the City of Yellowknife and the GNWT. I'd like to ask the Minister if he would entertain coming back to committee and letting us know what is being proposed so that we may have some input into the process. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I will be pleased to update the standing committee, to brief them on what progress has been made as this develops. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to again ask the Minister of Transportation if in fact the committee will be made apprised of the negotiations and how the deal is going to be structured between the City of Yellowknife and the Government of the Northwest Territories to see to it that this bypass road finally does get constructed. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, I'd be prepared to sit with the Member and the standing committee once we have more details to provide to them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask my questions to the Minister of Finance and I refer to the budget at page 10 under the heading of "The Challenges Ahead," but I think it could be titled "Mr. Roland's Letter to Mr. Harper" or "Talking About the Missing Piece." Mr. Speaker, I have to tell you that I learned something new here. It's quite amazing that we're a jurisdiction where we really cost the federal government two thousand a head, I mean, we must be one of the most fiscally self-sustaining and responsible citizens of Canada. I also learned from here that in fact the federal government has not paid, has not put in one single kilometre of new road in the Northwest Territories since 1987. That is unbelievable in light of the fact that most of our communities have no road connection, that we have millions and millions of dollars being produced in revenue for the federal government in our mines and the difficulties they have with the ice road. Is this going to be the same scenario for when we have oil and gas industry? I'd like to know in what part of his discussion with the Minister, the federal government, any potential new revenue or new partnership with the federal government on road building. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Roland.