Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to recognize a Page today. Owen Rilet is a constituent of Yellowknife North. Welcome, and thank you to all the Pages for the great work they do on our behalf. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Are we missing anyone in the gallery? It's always nice to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the achievements of my constituent, Nicole Latour, with the Province of Nova Scotia Chief Electoral Officer's Quality, Value and Service Award, recognizing outstanding achievements by elections officers. As Canada's only First Nations Chief Electoral Officer, Ms. Latour advised the Nova Scotia Chief Electoral Officer on a strategy to increase Indigenous Peoples' participation in provincial elections. Her advice produced good results, and she has been honoured with this award. Please join me in offering congratulations to Ms. Latour for receiving this award. Mahsi.

Masi. Acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to follow up on my Member's statement today, and I have some questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. As part of the NWT climate change, have the various departments looked at potentially expanding the use of liquid natural gas, commonly known as LNG, outside the Inuvik source of NWT natural gas? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. LNG is used specifically in Inuvik right now, as well all know. As we develop our 2030 Energy Strategy and our energy plan going forward, LNG is a significant part of that, to reduce our greenhouse house gas emissions. When we roll that out later this spring, we will see the opportunities that are available to residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that answer, and it's good to hear that the department and the governments are looking at that. So my next question for the Minister: has the Minister had the opportunity to discuss the proposal with the staff about the Canadian North LNG Project?

As of late, when we are at the Mineral Roundup, that group was there and I had a chat with them, and they have sent me a proposal of how they see they can use the Cameron Hills LNG possibly in the Northwest Territories.

I thank the Minister, who kind of answered my third question, so I'll go back to my second question. Has the Minister talked to his staff about this proposal that, supposedly, some of the former Department of Public Works talked to these proponents of this proposal?

The Member is talking about, maybe, the original proposal which they had submitted previous to both him and me being elected to the Legislative Assembly. The latest one they've sent me, they revised their proposal, and it is a different approach of how they can use the gas out of the Cameron Hills, ship it to Alberta, process it just across the border, and then be able to sell it back to proponents in the Northwest Territories, being either NTPC or a mining company or something like that.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, and I thank the Minister for that clarification. I think he's correct in saying that it might have been a previous proposal. So is the Minister willing to set up a meeting with myself and the principal organizer, or principal component of this company, and some interested people in the Northwest Territories who wish to see this project being feasible? Is he willing to work with us to set up a meeting? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'd gladly sit down with the Member and the proponents of the Canadian Natural Gas Proposal, whatever their legal entity name is, and the people who want to discuss it, and look at opportunities for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. I'd like to ask the Minister: what is the current status of the department's work on the Willow River Bridge and all-weather road project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've worked diligently with the community of Aklavik on this road and bridge project for the Richardson Mountains. They've accessed the CAP funding since 2011, and they do have a new proposal in right now to the department that's having a look at it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Has the Minister prioritized the Willow River bridge in his infrastructure planning?

If it's through the CAP program, that's an application that's on a first-come-first-served basis, and I think the community of Aklavik has done very well on it. As for the longer federal infrastructure plan, we're going to be signing our bilateral year pretty soon, hopefully in the next month or so with the federal Minister, and those types of programs are still being worked out; but I think there are plenty of opportunities for communities within the new infrastructure funding that's coming to the Northwest Territories over the next 10 years.

What will the Minister do to help his partners in the Mackenzie Delta complete the Willow River bridge and all-weather road project?

The department always has ongoing discussions with the people of Aklavik who have applied for this funding. There are ongoing engineering and technical challenges that need to be worked out, and the department is working with them. As I've said, the CAP funding is on a first-come-first-served basis, and the community has done very well on it, and we're looking at if we're going to be able to fund them this year as well.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.