Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have seen, especially this summer and last year, that there have been some major challenges we’re facing on our highways. We had a major highway closure on Highway No. 7, and a culvert collapsed on Highway No. 8. The road condition of Highway No. 6, and also….

You know, we’re starting to close highways down, and we’re finding that it is a question of public safety. Yet we continue to spend major capital dollars on highways that have already been developed with chipseal and major overhauls. We are now in a situation where roads are actually

being closed because of the substandard construction of those highways in the past. Now it’s coming to an age where we’re actually seeing collapses. We’re seeing the roads being eroded by permafrost.

I think it’s more important, Mr. Chair, that we as government do a better job to put the money where it’s urgently needed in regard to what highways are crumbling, where we’re having to close highways because of public safety. More importantly, we have to ensure that the travelling public feels safe on these highways.

We have a major summer cottage industry by way of tourism, but when our highways are being closed and the condition of the roads is so bad that tourists are being told in other jurisdictions not to come to the Northwest Territories, that sends a bad message to the tourism sector.

I think as a government we have to do a better job. I’d like to ask the Minister exactly what we are doing to ensure that those capital investments we’re making are made where there’s emergency need and where the biggest risk is.