Thank you, Mr. Chair. When it comes to capital expenditures and something of this nature, it’s always a great concern to myself and some of the committees that I sit on. It seems pretty significant, $105 million of carry-over. We often don’t like to see this. We like to see our capital investment expended in the year that we have, especially when it comes to constituencies and getting these monies expended.
Most particularly, there is some carry-over money for Highway No. 7. I would certainly have liked to have seen that done last year, but I’m pleased to see that it’s just a little bit of extra cash that we can use for Highway No. 7 for this coming year.
Once again, when it comes to expenditures, especially in the highway system, and I spoke with the Minister at length and brought it up in the House, about having the capital projects expended early in the year, July, August, as opposed to September, October. Because there are always lots of carry-overs in highway investment in my riding because those are typically rainy seasons and a lot of work cannot get done.
I see this carry-over and I’m, of course, looking for that same commitment, at least on Highway No. 7, that the expenditures get done early. At the appropriate time I would be looking for the plan for that money for this coming year and when it will be expended.
Of course, it’s not all carry-overs. I think there is now an addition of the $10 million for the Deh Cho
Bridge. Like I said, my constituency is concerned and I don’t think that they’re surprised that there’s another increase in the expenditures of the Deh Cho Bridge. Of course, they’re concerned, because any time we expend money like this on the Deh Cho Bridge and/or there’s some money in here for the Inuvik-Tuk highway, my concern has always been it’s taking resources away from other constituencies and expenditures. I’ve gone to great lengths to heighten the awareness of this government for Highway No. 7 and still it doesn’t appear in any of their documentation mandate letters or priorities of the government, and I remain focused on that. But every time they’re asked for more money – and it’s easy to put in a supp it seems – I feel kind of a twinge that I kind of have to support it and yet we see little expenditures on Highway No. 7. That’s my concern.
I just want to let my constituency know that I continue to raise the issue of Highway No. 7 and fight and fight and fight. One day I’d like to see an investment in Highway No. 7. The Minister and I have just done a trip down Highway No. 7, and I’m quite pleased about it. My constituency and the leadership are very pleased that he did, but at the same time, I’d like to see that type of expedition trip translate into actual resources for Highway No. 7.
I’ll just leave those opening comments there for now. Mahsi cho.