Okay, we’re on page 9-10. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple of things. Under Airports — Concessions, would that be every airport, or is it specific or relegated down to just one or two airports? How does that concession line break out as revenue?

Minister of

Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The concession is all airports in the Northwest Territories.

I don’t know the exact wording of this next question, but I’ll do my best. As I understand it, when planes fly over and they have to use our services, I thought they had to pay some type of fee on how that works. I’m not sure if it’s to federal Transportation, to us as a local airport…. If we could just confine it to the Yellowknife Airport; it may be confusing to try to open this up to the whole territory. It has to do with flight paths and whatnot. If the Minister could inform me on exactly how we would phrase that terminology, and then how much

money we receive, and how that sort of works and how often it’s used, and where it would show up under revenue, if I have this somewhat correct.

Mr. Chair, this service is provided by NAV Canada. NAV Canada collects the fees; we don’t have to collect any fees at all.

The territorial government doesn’t get any money, if some flight from who knows where going to who knows where uses any particular service or is flying in our airspace as described, I guess. Is that correct?

The Member is correct in terms of the flights in navigation. However, if they do land at one of our airports, they are charged a fee.

No, that’s just a shame, but…. Okay, thank you.

We’re on page 9-10, Revenue Summary, information item. Agreed?

Department of Transportation, Department

Summary, Revenue Summary, information item, approved.

Moving on to page 9-13, Corporate Services, Activity Summary, Operations Expenditure Summary. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Recognizing that the biggest source of greenhouse gases we have in the Northwest Territories — and typically for every jurisdiction, I think — is emissions from transportation sources, I would like to move a motion, if I may. I’ll read the motion, Mr. Chair.

The motion is in order. The motion is being distributed. To the motion, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair. As I

mentioned, this is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions. I know this department is well aware of the impacts of climate change, that they’re struggling to keep ahead of the impacts, that

they are dedicating research dollars — at least federal research dollars, and I would think some of our own dollars — to try to come up with solutions for it. I think one of the difficulties is that the efforts are mostly focused on the symptoms rather than the source.

We really need a long-term strategy — this won’t happen in the next six months — a thoughtful and comprehensive and effective strategy that leads to the gradual and ever-increasing reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to prevent much more serious climate change. It’s on that basis I moved and support this motion.

To the motion. Question has been called.

Motion carried.

We’re on page 9-13, Corporate Services, Operations Expenditure Summary: $8.514 million.

Department of Transportation, Activity

Summary, Corporate Services, Operations Expenditure Summary: $8.514 million, approved.

Information item. Moving on to page 9-14, Corporate Services, Active Positions. Agreed?

Department of Transportation, Activity

Summary, Corporate Services, Active Positions, information item (page 9-14), approved.

Page 9-15. Information item, Corporate Services, Active Positions. Agreed?

Department of Transportation, Activity

Summary, Corporate Services, Active Positions, information item (page 9-15), approved.

Page 9-17, Activity Summary, Airports, Operations Expenditure Summary: $27.887 million. Mr. Menicoche.

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.

I move that this committee strongly recommend that the government take immediate action to reverse its decision to contract out the operations and maintenance of the Fort Simpson Airport under the Department of Transportation, under the Airport Activity.

Thank you,

Mr. Menicoche. The motion is being distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t support us contracting out services as a way of doing business. I’m not convinced we get best value over the long haul. I realize it is a short-term solution, sometimes, and probably the most effective in the short term. But ultimately, it creates

a band-aid situation, whereas, as the Member described a moment ago, I see that we’ll end up pulling it back into the public service, not unlike the ferry services that were highlighted by the Member. A number of years ago Transportation privatized the motor vehicle registry, and that’s been brought back in.

I’m just not convinced that privatizing public services — ones I would describe as core, principled public services — is the way to go. I’m not convinced the change will be positive for both the community and the quality of service they provide.

Mr. Chairman, I’ll be voting with the Member and probably most of the committee, of course, on this motion. I’ll ask at this time for a recorded vote to demonstrate how serious we are on this issue.