Mr. Chairman, I too am happy to see that the first bundle is making its way through the process here. I want to ask the Minister if there’s going to be a second bundle coming through. Because what I’ve seen in the existing highways, and rightly so, they deserve the work that’s being asked by the Members here for their highways. I’m still waiting for a highway. I’d like to be part of the group here, I mean, because I know in April we’re going to melt away, because our roads are not going to be staying too long.

I just wanted to say that the government is doing some good work to move some of these projects into the highways; however, I am…(inaudible)…waiting for another bundle to come through looking at the Mackenzie Valley Highway so I can be part of the discussion when we talk about highways in the future, and I say in the future. I just wanted to say good work on putting this package together and I look forward to some work here in the future. Those are my comments.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Continuing on with general comments, I have Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If a member of the public was looking at this document

they would see that, despite how many times I’ve been raising Highway No. 7 in this Legislature, over the years there is no contribution here. If the Minister can explain that, and I’ll certainly be looking for a response with regard to that. Why is it not on this document and what’s the attention this government is going to give Highway No. 7?

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. I’ll turn it over to Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In the first bundle there’s going to be four years and $12 million. Then the second bundle is going to put in more funds, I think to the tune of $20-some million for the Liard Highway. The first bundle is a four-year time frame, but in a year or year and a half or so we’ll be coming forward with the work on the second bundle to make sure everything is in place and there’s no break. So the Liard Highway is getting additional attention, not just the money that is before us today. But the plan over the longer term is to continue to invest in the Liard in a significant way. Thank you.

That was previously approved, I think it was in the fall time, in our capital budget. Is that correct, Mr. Chair?

The Member is correct, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. General comments. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to say, for the record, I notice Highway No. 9 is missing, the one that runs off the access road straight into Yellowknife Centre, and I think it’s time we start to put that on the books.

In all seriousness, Mr. Chairman, I’m just wondering, not to get too far ahead of the detail, but is the additional money requested for the Detah road over and above the original contract? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. For that we’ll turn it over to the Minister of Transportation. Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is part of the original bundle. We had started the Detah road with capital. We put capital into the first section of it, and it was an opportunity to finish off the Detah access road using Building Canada Funds where we thought we would achieve some cost sharing, so we moved it into Building Canada. We only need it for one year, then we’re finished that access road.

Mr. Chair, that’s good. Thank you.

General comments. Mr. Yakeleya.

I just wanted to ask, the Minister mentioned a second bundle, is there a third

bundle? I just wish there was some news on the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Again, we’ll turn it over to the Minister of Transportation, Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We are currently working on the second bundle, which includes some work that wasn’t on our highways but is some access road money. So that second bundle is something that we are currently putting together. We’re trying to put the bundles together that are just under $100 million. Of course, there will be a third bundle, as well, which is going to be mostly bridges, then there will be a fourth bundle, which is the completion of this current bundle, the first bundle.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Yakeleya.

A bundle of money, Mr. Chair. Okay, I’ll leave that and I’ll figure that out.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. General comments. Is committee prepared to go into detail?

Thank you, committee. Committee, if I could turn your attention to page 5 of the supplementary estimates. Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, administrative and support services, not previously authorized, negative $2 million. Total department, not previously authorized, negative $2 million. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Page 6, Industry, Tourism and Investment, capital investment expenditures, minerals and petroleum resources, not previously authorized, $3.621 million. Total department, not previously authorized, $3.621 million. Is committee agreed?