Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to

just mention that I enjoyed the presentation on the energy programs and initiatives. Thanks for that.

Mr. Speaker, about two-thirds of our greenhouse gas emissions are derived from transportation. I want to acknowledge the singular efforts of City of Yellowknife councillor Kevin Kennedy for his recent bus trip, for example, to Quebec. He is certainly walking the talk, or should we say riding the talk? Here’s an individual who for his holidays took three weeks hiking in Wood Buffalo Park and the next year took the same amount of time and rode by bicycle from Yellowknife to Vancouver with his 15-year-old daughter.

Instead of being congratulated for actually taking a stand on climate-related issues and doing something about it, he’s more often ridiculed in the media and blamed for wasting time — implying that reading during his travels or learning about Canada while travelling is a waste of time. Last year when he took the bus south, the newspaper article focused on the fact that he didn’t actually save money, as the other councillors managed to get seat sales.

Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that people are missing the point here — perhaps deliberately, not many people want to take the bus for 80 hours — and maybe it needs to be made explicitly. You could say that we all make choices and that this is Mr.

Kennedy’s way to reduce his own

environmental footprint and to demonstrate possibilities. There are many other ways. This government should at least follow his example of doing something about it in a significant way.

On behalf of my constituents, Yellowknifers and tourists visiting our capital city, I would like to suggest that this government demonstrate its commitment by constructing a bicycle/walking path along the Ingraham

Trail to Prelude Lake and to

Dettah. Such a path would increase the quality of life of residents by encouraging healthy, active living while increasing the safety of our people. With the creation of a bicycle path and with people making healthy choices, we could expect to see traffic and road maintenance on these highways reduced with a lowering of greenhouse gas emissions. All of these benefits have been highlighted in the visions, goals and priorities of this Assembly. Mr. Speaker, let’s get a bicycle and walking path built along the Ingraham Trail and enjoy the benefits.

Finally, I note that in the Northern Connections Transportation Strategy,

just co-published by our

Department of Transportation, I saw the mention of

ALCAN RaiLink Inc. and mention of the role of railroads as a cheaper and more environmentally sound mode of transportation.