Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’ve had several different programs that provide capital funding for airports. We do access those whenever possible. Any time you come forward with a need, you’re always needing to determine what the highest priority is and then balance that with the needs in all different modes of transportation; and in fact, the needs across multiple departments that might be wanting or able to access the same pot of federal money.

Specific to airports, there is the Airports Capital Assistance Program. It provides $35 million a year. It’s an application-based program. The $35 million a year is across Canada. We compete with all airports across Canada that are eligible. We typically get one, maybe two, projects a year that would amount to $1 or $2 million. Some current projects are we’re replacing the lighting in Norman Wells and replacing lighting in Tuktoyaktuk.

We’ve also, as part of the Building Canada Program or one of its predecessors, the Canada’s Strategic Infrastructure Fund, been able to find the funding or have airport projects be a priority there. Seven or so years ago, the Yellowknife Combined Services Building received about 50 per cent of its funding from the federal government. More recently, three terminal buildings in Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, and Tuktoyaktuk were replaced under the Canada Stimulus Fund.

We do take every opportunity that we can in order to obtain federal government funding. The thing is you’re always subject to whatever the federal government program criteria are, so you have to make sure that your needs fit with that. You’re always competing with all of the other needs that are in all of the modes of transportation. At the present time, their Federal Engagement Strategy is really for new road construction and investing in new roads. That’s the higher priority at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.