I have a question with regard to the insurance and liability of this government. I have several inquiries from my constituents about the condition of the roads and damages that occurred to their vehicles by way of punctured fuel tanks, busted steering rods and in some cases wheels falling off.

I know this government has under the Department of Finance a risk management and insurance section, and I know that it insures normal wear and tear. But when you have steering rods busting off and people’s tanks being punctured because of the condition of the roads, I think this government has to face the possibility that there is some liability.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly what is the case for individuals who find themselves in a situation where they’ve been stranded because of having a wheel busted off? I’ll use a scenario. I know that a number of years ago there was an individual killed on the Dempster Highway when his eighteen-wheeler hit a pothole in the road — basically corroded from the bottom up. The guy hit the hole, flipped his vehicle, and he was killed in the accident. I know this government was taken to court, and it cost us about a million dollars, so there is that liability aspect of our responsibility. We note a lot of times driving the highway that there are these holes along the road. You see them popping up. Once in a while you’ll see an orange cone sticking out of them by way of a marker. But, again, we have to realize that we’re not immune to these liabilities.

I’d just like to ask the Minister: exactly what is the government’s responsibility when it comes to those types of liabilities, knowing we’ve already been taken to court, knowing we’ve already been found to be at fault? Again, I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly where are we in regard to this issue? I know the Minister has been receiving correspondence from a constituent of mine. So that’s why I’m bringing it here today.