Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. As we deliberate the Department of Transportation that’s before us, I’m really pleased that we’re able to work together as a House, committee and the Cabinet, in moving some of the big ticket items forward, most particularly, the Trout Lake expansion of the airport, the relocation of the airport. That’s a huge ticket item. It was the subject of much debate earlier on in our term, but we were able to work together and see the need of it for safety and the travelling public and the community. I’d really like to say that I’m sure that working hard together we can move forward and concentrate and come to solutions on some of the big ticket items. Most particularly, of course, the source of our new debate is the Deh Cho Bridge. I really think that we’re at a stage that we do have to continue to move forward and find some resolution about it.

A lot of my colleagues are asking for an explanation or else a timeline of events right from the cradle of the project. I think they are deserving of those answers. I would like to see us work towards that. At the same time, it will take up a lot of resources from the department, because we do have some hard work ahead of us in order to meet the completion date of 2011. I can say now that I am not going to be opposed to it. However, I think that hard questions have to be answered. I am sure that the Minister and the department are up to the task in giving us those answers.

Throughout my constituency visits, the discussions of our highway systems throughout the Nahendeh riding is always high on the agenda, first, of course, providing local employment and local businesses and access to the contracts that are associated with the maintenance and the reconstruction of our highways and, of course, also for sending a

community ventures that wish to work towards that but also working towards, and I have been saying it for a couple of years now. I know that money will be tight but I still think that leaving a legacy of improved highway system for this Assembly can be a goal and still should be a goal up to and including the chipsealing as much of our highways as we can. I know that, hopefully, we have done as much as we can in the Yellowknife area and if we can concentrate on chipsealing in other areas, it has always been a criticism of my constituents.

I am very pleased to see that, of course, from the Providence junction towards Fort Simpson we will be doing up to 70 to 75 kilometres of chipseal. I do not want to see that impeded in any way. It is a huge thing. I have been telling my constituents and the department has been telling my constituents, as well, that is something that is going to work. I would like to see that work and begin as early as we can as well as some of the other reconstruction projects in the Deh Cho riding and, most particularly, the Fort Liard section from the B.C. border towards Fort Liard. I think there is something like, I forget, 12 to 16 kilometres that hasn’t been reconstructed yet. I certainly would like to see that out of the gate early as well.

Overall, it has been great things in the budget from our riding. The completion of the Nahanni Butte access road and I certainly know the constituents there as well are quite excited. They know they see its completion that they can drive to the river in a shorter passageway pretty much all season. I look forward to that. Jean Marie has always been looking for improvement of their road. I know it is classified as seasonal, but I sure would like to see that section completed; that it is an all-season road there. The department strategy, I am sure we can work towards that in the long term.

With that, I am not too sure about the efforts under the marine operations. I think the community of Nahanni Butte has always been seeking more assistance with their docking area and upgrading it. It is certainly something that I would support and look to it as we get to that line item in the budget, Mr. Chairman. With that, thank you very much.