The reason I moved the amendment — I think there’s some concern out there, and Mr. Hawkins raised a bit of it — is that communities would be impacted by their New Deal money. That’s the issue we have to get over and we have to tackle.
I don’t want to see that New Deal money getting impacted. I don’t want to see a chipsealing program take from the existing funding communities get. What I want to see — this is why I’m supporting my colleague Mr. Krutko, from Mackenzie Delta, on this — is because it is a health issue. It’s an important issue in small communities, the dust issue. We’ve talked about that for a number of years in this Legislative Assembly. It should be something we concern ourselves with. I don’t believe that it
necessarily has to come out of existing funding that flows through to communities.
I think we can, if we make it a priority of the government, get some money and earmark it for a chipsealing program. It has nothing to do with the New Deal money. It should have nothing to do with the New Deal money; I don’t want Members to get confused about that. We’re going to be going through strategic initiatives. We’re going to be sitting down with the Ministers. We’re going to be talking to them about what’s important in our communities. If chipsealing main streets in our communities is important to us, then we better find some money to address it. It doesn’t necessarily have to come out of the New Deal money and the capital money that’s flowing through to communities.
I just want Members to understand that. I think this amendment to the motion, outside of existing funding levels to communities, addresses that. It’s a recommendation that the government take a look at it. It’s not going to impact the funding that goes to communities. And if it does, then we’ve got a serious problem and we’re going to have a good look at that. In my estimation, this speaks to the issue, and it also speaks to the fact that communities are not going to be impacted.
It's hard to believe that in today's day and age, every community in the Northwest Territories doesn’t have main street chipseal. That is a goal this government should set, and we should try to attain that goal. We should be setting some money aside each and every year, outside of the existing funding, to address that issue. Do a couple of communities a year. It wouldn’t take us very long before each and every community in the Northwest Territories has its main street chipsealed. I think that’s the intent of the mover of the motion’s idea on this. I support that, and I hope Members do support the amendment. Mahsi.