Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be supporting this motion. I support retaining the Fort Simpson airport with the public service staff that are there. I support Mr. Menicoche in his efforts to see these positions and these employees and these families not disrupted on something that might or might not work out.

I’m not satisfied with the level of detail that was provided by the department to actually prove this would mean any cost savings at all. It’s fine to say we’re going to cut this many positions and save this much money. What about the severance to end the employment of these folks? What about the costs of contracting? How predictable is that going forward into the future? How about when the community economy picks up and this equipment that’s used at the airport — if it’s not dedicated — is needed somewhere else?

There are concerns of public safety. I say if it isn’t broke, don’t try to fix it. It’s working well the way it is. I will be supporting this motion completely.