Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to follow up on Highway No. 7 here. I know the Minister had indicated in his last response
to me that he would look at expending monies early, but I think I’m looking for a firm commitment that the department be serious about Highway No. 7 and spend the money early in the new year.
I’ll probably take the opportunity to comment on the $1.3 million of capital carry-overs and also I’d like the Minister to confirm that those projects will go ahead early in the new year. Like I said, I’m not happy with commitments anymore. I want this in writing. The Minister has to tell his department to get that work done early. I’ve got to see it done early. My people have to see it done early. That’s the only way we build trust and start believing in the government again. Actions go further than words. That’s the kind of thing I would like to see. That’s what I’d like to hear from the Minister. That’s what I’d like to hear from this government when it comes to Highway No. 7 this year, this spring, because the road collapses every May, it’s only around the corner that they will get out there early with their men and equipment and with the capital dollars that we continue to approve. It’s got to be spent early; the equipment has to be out there. We shouldn’t be waiting until August/September again to be working on those roads. Those roads get shut down for weeks at a time in the springtime.
That’s what I’m saying here today. I’ll continue to recommend to my colleagues that we not pass this interim appropriation until I get satisfaction and the satisfaction to this House that you pay attention to Highway No. 7. It’s equally important as the Inuvik-Tuk road. I know that ended up on our list of priorities, but that doesn’t mean we stop working on other areas and other highways in our great territory here. I’d like to look for that commitment and ask the Minister to commit to me in writing that our forces will be out there this spring in preparation of the spring thaw, in preparation of Highway No. 7 collapsing and to make sure that we begin early.
As well, part of our federal engagement strategy is to talk about the Inuvik-Tuk highway, but you’ve got to talk about Highway No. 7 as well. You’ve got to talk about our other infrastructure needs in the North and that’s the kind of level of interest that I want to see from this government and from the Minister of Transportation as we move forward in this fiscal year. I know we’ve been red flagged for any future capital projects, but in reality, even if we didn’t get any money at the end of this March, we won’t be talking about capital expenditures until June/July by the time we get it all sorted out. The tension is today and it’s not tomorrow. That’s what I want the department to consider, the Minister to consider and our government to consider. We cannot wait until next year to be spending money. We’ve got to come up with some kind of plan, some kind of action plan that’s firm and solid, that gives us a base and a base on that highway as well.
I realize the implications. I know they’ve done an engineering study that I have yet to see, that’s about a million dollars a kilometre, maybe more, to reconstruct Highway No. 7, but we’ve got to start. We had started already. We’ve done about 20 kilometres near Fort Liard and we’ve got some chipsealing that was going to be done last year and that’s the chipsealing I was talking about. We approved the budget in November, but they are tendering this thing out in July. What’s going on? The department did the wisest thing I’ve ever seen. They’ve actually tendered it out, but they didn’t do the work. I commend them for that, but I cannot commend them for waiting until July to tender out appropriations we gave them in November.
So I’d like to know where that work is. I’d like the Minister to guarantee that the chipsealing will continue on Highway No. 7. I’d like to see a firm plan to spend this $1.3 million capital carry-overs in writing to me, as well as a firm commitment that men and equipment will be out there in springtime in anticipation of spring thaw and the annual Highway No. 7 spring collapse. It shouldn’t have to be there if we are prepared. We know it’s been happening. It’s been happening very severely for the last three or four years and having a plan to deal with Highway No. 7 by monitoring conditions is not good enough. I would like to hear a response from the Minister with regard to that. Thank you.