Thank you, Madam Chair. The funding that we’re going to be debating has to do a lot with the timing of the supp for the infrastructure.
I have not heard one member in our community say they oppose the highway, the Mackenzie Valley Highway. We all actually support it. It’s the way that the funding is coming about to continue the work, as Mr. Ramsay has indicated, for the people of the Northwest Territories.
Also, the federal government has signalled this project as a priority through their budget. They’re saying we have $150 million and we’re starting to understand that it’s a 25/75 partnership and that it may not at the end of the day be 25/75. It might be a 50/50. So what we on our side are willing to risk, chance, is that if it does pan out to be that it’s going to cost more than $250 million or $260 million then are we willing to borrow more money? Ask us to maybe have our projects delayed for a year or two in our communities? That’s the risk.
We know there’s work that needs to get done up there. Start working. It’s a significant project. What we’ve been told is that we have to look at this project because it means work next year, which is understandable. The timing here is not really the best for us. They`ve got $2.5 million by the end of March. That gives us what, six weeks? Eight weeks? That’s the thing that we’re looking at.
I think we have learned a lot from the previous government on the Deh Cho Bridge. That bridge isn’t even done yet but we have learned and we are still learning. For some of the provinces or the federal government this project is small. This is peanuts to them. I know the Alberta government put a lot of bridges up. They use lots of money. They put roads, also, in areas. They even pave them. Sometimes you don’t even know they’ve got paved roads. I’m in the Sahtu; I don’t even know what a road is.
I guess for us, for myself – I should speak for myself – this project has the Government of Canada’s radar. We’re on their radar right now. They’re only capping $150 million. Unless our Premier and our Cabinet can go there and ask for more money and say make it a real 25/75, because you know what? We’re going to start digging into our infrastructure dollars and it’s looking like a 50/50 partnership. There’s no guarantee that this Cabinet is going to do that. The federal government is going to say we told you $150 million, that’s it. You make up the rest. That’s something we have to think about.
I know this project is close to the hearts of the people up in Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. As much as the Sahtu wants roads, they want their roads too, so much that they got the Prime Minister to make it a priority within the Northern Strategy. Tell Flaherty to find the money; we’re going to help them build it.
It’s the timing of this how this supp is coming through. It’s how this project is being looked at right now. It’s almost to the point where it’s a done deal. I think that we need to build the Mackenzie Valley
Highway. I need to say that I hope that this supports the Northwest Territories. I’ll ask specific questions on the Inuvik-Tuk road. I think that the Dempster Highway certainly can use this money to pave that road. Dusty as hell, the Dempster Highway. We’re not even paving it. I’m sorry for my language. There are people that use that road and they don’t even pave that road.
Are we dancing to the Prime Minister’s tune? I think this road here will cost more than what I heard from the Minister. Mark my words; it is going to cost more. I just don’t know if we’re going to pay it. I hope that Mr. Ramsay goes to Ottawa and says we need more. I’m not too sure how that’s going to work. I really don’t know the consequence of us making that decision today.
I know people up in Tuk and Inuvik need work. I support them. There are some good people up there, hard workers. They need to get on with this road here. Same with Inuvik. It’s not our fault that the oil and gas economy is down in that area. I don’t know the specifics on that, why they’re not working as much as they used to work in that area. Like any other regions, they’re also starving for economic development in their communities. They would certainly love to see a $2.5 million project go ahead in their communities. We’re just not that lucky.
I’m going to leave some specifics to the detail. I’m hoping that the Assembly here has some good thoughts as to how we continue to move on this project. The timing is not great. That’s the thing that bothers me. Like I said, the majority of Members support the Mackenzie Valley Highway so much that we gave money in the last Assembly to specifically Inuvik and Tuk. Other projects in our communities also need some attention. That probably goes through the normal business plans.
I know Mr. Harper is monitoring our discussions. I hope he’s listening too. We should honour and he should honour. If he says 25/75, the Harper government should honour that formula and not get out of it and say it’s only $150 million we’re going to give you, you deal with the rest if it’s more than what we think it’s going to cost. That’s what Mr. Ramsay is saying. We need more money. Now we know what it’s going to cost us but we need more money to access funding. I hope we haven’t closed the doors on our discussions with Mr. Harper or the people of the Northwest Territories will pay. Somehow they will pay.