Thank you very much. With respect to our operations at the airport, Mr. Chair, I should state for the record that I’m opposed to any decision to contract out the operations and maintenance done by the Fort Simpson airport staff. The tentative plans underway, of course, are for ’09–10, beginning April 1, but now is the time to act. I believe that now is time for our committee to tell the Ministry of Transportation that it’s important to our community.

It’s too bad I couldn’t get the figures earlier on the airport fees, et cetera. I’m sure I could make the case that Fort Simpson airport is at least the fifth or sixth busiest in the Northwest Territories, and there would be a good argument for retaining the existing staff there. It’s out from Yellowknife over to

Whitehorse and the traffic that comes this way, Mr. Chair, not to mention the additional tourism that occurs in Nahanni National Park and all the outfitting. That’s another region, too.

I believe there’s value in keeping those positions. I just want to also say I have been lobbied quite extensively by the people of Fort Simpson. I just want to say, as well, and let the Minister know it wasn’t just a union doing the lobbying; it was the community. That’s a very small community, Wrigley — all sending petitions, and I filed them in House — letting the government know this airport is busy. We don’t want to degrade it. We fear, for several safety factors, this just cannot be done.

We’ve got a good stable workforce. We’ve got good qualified people at these positions. People kept saying, Mr. Chair: Look; hasn’t the government learned from the ferry fiasco, where we had to repatriate the ferries from the contractor? It didn’t become manageable. We don’t want to see that starting all over again.

And the whole thing is about contracting out, only to be re-taken over in four or five years. What have we gained? What have we really, really gained in this adventure except to create lots of hardship, disrupt families and disrupt the operations. We’ve got a good stable workforce. I don’t think it makes sense to do it all over again in four or five years and to try to build it up again.

So I’ve done that. I’ve done questions here. I’ve done Member’s statements. I’ve made it to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Investment. I’ve stated my case there. And I’m stating my case here again. With that, I’d like to move a committee motion, Mr. Chair.