Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I want to talk about the Deh Cho bridge. I believe we are going to create a big bridge in the Tlicho Nation. Now, it has been almost 50 years since we have a winter road that a lot of people are using, and this is the statement I want to make today. [End of translation] Since the Deh Cho Bridge is now completed and well-used today, I would like to highlight and also talk about the Tlicho Bridge, also known as the Frank Channel Bridge.

Mr. Speaker, the Frank Channel Bridge is a vital part of the highway lifeline connecting Yellowknife and the North Slave region to the rest of the territory and to southern Canada. All car and truck traffic into the territorial capital must pass over this bridge that we have, the Frank Channel Bridge. In excess of 20,000 people depend on this bridge for groceries, fuel, building materials, and other essentials of life, not to mention the needs of industry, especially the diamond mines.

The Frank Channel Bridge is more than half a century old, well past its prime, Mr. Speaker. I suspect not a single bolt or girder of the original structure remains, so much of it has been replaced over the years, but there comes a time when band-aids on band-aids no longer work. For the Frank Channel Bridge, that time has come.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important infrastructure for our territory; for my region, as well. It does connect us to the South and it is a main gateway, so this is a very important infrastructure, not only for my region, but for the whole territory. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure at the appropriate time. Masi.