Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, in regard to the Access Road Program -- and I know I’ve raised this before -- it comes in different types of access road. You have the upgrade to the road to connect communities such as the road to Nahanni Butte. You have the expansion of what used to be the Community Access Road Program which was used to put the road into Jean Marie. There again, it’s another access road construction program. Then, also, you have the Access Road Program in regard to the Tuk access road program.

Again, I think that this issue has been around as long as I’ve been here, going back to the 13th Assembly. The whole idea of having the community access road was mostly for the communities in the Eastern Arctic so that they can access traditional areas close to their communities by way of fishing spots or, basically, recreation areas or even areas just to get out of the community.

I think that this government has to, you know, we talk about having a Highway Strategy, we have strategies in place. I’d just like to ask the Minister, I know that the Minister stated that they don’t really have a program for that, but we have programs which are similar to what we’re talking about but we use a different method of achieving it.

Again, I’ll refer to the Nahanni Butte road program to connect that community to a highway. I mean, we can use that same argument in regard to the road to Tuk, which we’ve used. I can use the same argument in regard to Aklavik, from Aklavik connecting them to the Dempster Highway. We’re able to achieve it in some communities, but we don’t really have a program like the Minister mentioned.

I’d just like to ask the Minister, knowing it is definitely from the expression of interest by Members and also this program has been around, like I mentioned, since the 13th Assembly, it’s very

important to rural and remote communities that we continue to expand the program. But the whole program, it was sort of watered down over the years and now the Community Access Program is $50,000 a year up to $450,000. I mean, because it’s so limited, I mean, you couldn’t get two loads of gravel for $50,000 in some communities. I think, if anything, it’s unproductive by the way it was achieved, but yet we’re able to achieve results using different methods.

So I’m just wondering from the Minister, do we actually have a framework or detail of a program that meets what we’re talking about here in the House in regard to achieving the same results in regard to connecting communities to highways, connecting communities to resource rich areas, mining areas or even tourism potential areas? Because it seems like we’re coming at it from all angles but we’re talking about the same thing. Thank you.