Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, I would say that that would be a good avenue to work on. The fact is, as a government we talk about sustainable communities and delivery of programs and services. Minister Yakeleya, for example, is going to be the lead on the regional and community delivery initiative, so we could probably work in that area to try to set up some terms and look at different avenues. So yes, I would be willing to engage at that level and see what we can come up with together.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On numerous previous occasions I spoke about the shortage of teachers in Nunakput. This continues to be a great concern for many parents in my riding. I’d like to ask the miniature — Minister — of Education, Culture and Employment to tell me: what is the status of the placements?

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I thought I was beyond the miniature status.

Laughter.

I’d like to thank the Member for asking that particular question, because it has been a concern for the Beaufort-Delta, and it has also been a concern for our department. Our department, as I said, along with the Beaufort-Delta school board, is pursuing the filling of the principal and the teacher positions. There were five principal positions that were vacant, but the good news is that all five have been filled to date. Of the 26 teaching positions that were to be filled, there are only four outstanding at this point. We’ve come a long way since the last question from the Member.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to keeping the communities informed on these last four placements?

Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to keep the Member informed of the status of these positions that are being filled. It is the expectation that these four teaching positions could be filled by the end of June. We will keep the Member posted on our progress.

Can the Minister tell me what plans the department has in place to ensure that in the future the department takes a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach to these issues?

Our department, along with the school boards in various regions, does monitor the teachers and the principals and the high-profile positions that are to be vacant. At that point the request goes out, and that’s when the recruitment drive goes into full action. Certainly, we’ll continue to monitor that. The teachers and professionals give notice, I believe, in early spring, so at that time we know for sure. Certainly we’ll keep working hard in these areas with the Members and also with the regional perspective. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. It’s in regard to a motion that was passed in this House on accessing gravel sources for communities, especially in the communities of Aklavik and Tuktoyaktuk. I see you’ve taken care of the problem for Tuk, but you haven’t dealt with the problem for Aklavik.

I had the opportunity to speak with the Gwich’in Land Administration. They do have a pit-management plan that this government is part of. They’ve done core samples on the pit outside of Aklavik. There’s an extensive gravel reservoir there that has been accessible for quite a few years. I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly when can I see some movement in regard to this government allowing Aklavik to be treated no differently from the community of Tuktoyaktuk?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is fully committed to working with various levels of industry and government in terms of improving our transportation system. It is also

committed to giving capacity to partnerships in the community.

As I’ve mentioned to the Member, I’m prepared to go into Aklavik and sit down with the community to scope out what needs to get done to work on the issue of Aklavik gravel pit.

Meetings are all great and well, but at the end of the day we can meet until we’re blue in the face. My issue is: what is this government going to do in the meantime?

This pit has been accessed going back to the mid-’80s. It's part of the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claims Agreement. It was part of an overlap agreement between the Gwich'in and the Inuvialuit. It's identified in those land claim documents as a gravel source. Yet I see nothing in regard to why this government is not recognizing this as a gravel source like any other gravel source in the Northwest Territories.

This government has been spending money on access to the gravel source for years, yet we hear, Let’s have another meeting. I'd like to ask the Minister: exactly when will we see the dollars that are going to be needed to put this road into this gravel source?

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to go into Aklavik, have a discussion with them, make them offers in a partnership process. We had identified in our proposed budget, through the lead Minister of the Building Canada Fund in terms of the research and development fund, that there is going to be some dollars there identified in terms of working with Aklavik.

It’s an extensive process. We want to get the work done. We certainly want to work with the people of Aklavik. There are other needs — investments — that are also competing with the Aklavik gravel source initiative. I am prepared to go into Aklavik and work with the community to see what we can do within the life of this government. That’s my commitment to the Member and to the people of Aklavik.

The Minister can go into Aklavik all he wants. At the end of the day, all we’re going to do is talk.

In regard to this project, we have major projects for community access roads. Projects that weren’t even part of the planning process are getting money through federal infrastructure funding by way of bypass roads.

I’d like to ask the Minister: when will I see dollar signs in this budget or some direction from that Cabinet that there will be capital expenditures on this road to Aklavik? I’m not meeting unless I have that answer.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before and I’ll say it again, I’m very, very optimistic and would like to sit down with the people in Aklavik and look at the issue. When it comes to Building, we in my department have identified research dollars going into this particular project.

We do have competing issues out there right across the Northwest Territories on transportation issues, gravel issues, airport issues, new roads and existing roads. So let’s be fair here. Let’s see what we can do within this lifetime and sit down with the lead Minister of the Building Canada Fund. Let’s see what we can do. I know I want to move on this issue, and I’m prepared to go into Aklavik — as I said before — to see what we can do within the time frame of this government.

Thank you, Minister Yakeleya. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, there were some 21 items that were sent to the federal government. I’d like to ask the Minister: did you meet with every community that those 21 projects were addressed for? Did you get the permission of those communities to get those projects in place? Do you have a written agreement with every one of those 21 projects before you send a letter to Ottawa?

I will certainly take into consideration the concerns about projects of the Members from the other side. I have listened from the time I’ve been sitting on this side here. They have been advanced in the past government. They have looked at issues where projects have been on the books for 12 or 15 years. They are coming forward, and I am looking at the plans. Certainly I’d be happy to work with the Members in terms of their projects for their regions and their communities and where best to put our investments in all of the Northwest Territories to improve our transportation system.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.