Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know some time back, that the department did say that they were going to work with ILA with regard to the permitting process and I'm very surprised that his department hasn't even moved forward with that application process. I understand that there might be a little bit of loss but I think, if I may request, Mr. Speaker, that I think the Minister should get his department to at least submit that application to the ILA. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister, where is that application now? Is it in the hands of ILA right now? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, I'll give it one last kick at the cat with regard to source 177. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of dialogue between the Premier, discussions with the former Minister of Indian Affairs, Mr. Jim Prentice, and also a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Calgary, and also the Tuk Community Corporation chair, the chair of IRC, and CEO, and also with the Minister of Transportation and his department. I'd like to ask the Minister of Transportation, can he give an update on how the application process is going with regard to their submissions to the ILA? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my beautiful wife up in the gallery, Mrs. Lucille Pokiak...

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...and also my constituency assistant, Donna Bernhardt, who is here assisting with the Pages that I have.

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In the Chamber today, there is Trevor Okheena and out back here is Tyler Inuktalik from Ulukhaktok. Thank you very much.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues. Whose interest is it? Is it the Premier and Cabinet? This bridge, when built, will not serve the people in the Beaufort-Delta and the Sahtu regions. Once again we, in the Far North, are left out on major projects to connect us to the rest of Canada and we will continue to pay the high costs for fuel, oil and gas, et cetera.

Mr. Speaker, on other matters, I would like to thank Tim Mercer, Clerk of the Assembly, and his staff for all the support they gave me over the last three and a half years. To my honourable colleagues, it was a pleasure to meet, discuss, argue and eventually resolve issues through our committee deliberations.

Mr. Speaker, four Members have decided not to run in the upcoming 16th Assembly. To Premier Handley, Ministers Bell and Dent and our very own dean, Mr. Braden, it was a pleasure to know and work with you and I wish each of you well for whatever the future leads in your life.

To my wife, Lucille, sons, Bertram and Darren, my brother Charles Pokiak in Tuk, thank you for all the support you gave me over the last three and a half years. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, the communities of Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour. Thank you for having the confidence and electing me to the 15th Assembly to represent you. When I ran I said what is needed is you needed the confidence of your MLA to represent and speak on behalf of your interests and, more importantly, to keep in contact with constituents. I think I have accomplished that.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to make one last effort and try to convince the Cabinet to fund construction for an access road to source 177.

---Laughter

Will they make a commitment today to fund this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

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Mr. Speaker, may I request unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement? Thank you.

Two RCMP officers will be located in the office we'll be establishing in Sachs Harbour by 2008, although it's one year late.

I also lobbied very hard for the last three and a half years for an all-weather road between Tuk and Inuvik, but recently, over the past few months, to find $15 million over three years to construct the 22-kilometre access road from source 177 from Tuktoyaktuk just so that the community of Tuk can have year-round access to a gravel source. This morning, Mr. Speaker, I listened, with interest, when the deputy mayor of Tuktoyaktuk was interviewed by CBC and he is obviously very disappointed that this government could not commit any funding towards this project before dissolution of this government. The deputy mayor has spent a lot of time and effort in promoting the construction of the road. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Cabinet will make a strong recommendation to the 16th Assembly to add this as a high priority of the next government. Apparently, the Deh Cho Bridge at $150 million has precedence and we move forward because Cabinet considers this a national interest. Whose interest is it? Is it the Premier and Cabinet? This bridge, when built, will not serve the people.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is the last sitting day of the 15th Assembly, so I would like to reflect some thoughts over what transpired over the past three and a half years.

When I arrived for MLA for the Nunakput riding three and a half years ago, I did not discuss my candidacy with my wife, Lucille, or my two sons, Bertram and Darren, because it was a spur of the moment decision. To be honest, I did not expect to be elected and representing...

---Laughter

To be honest, I did not expect to be elected and represent my constituents when elected. Mr. Speaker, becoming an MLA and representing your constituents can be a difficult job because we know we can't solve all the problems of our constituents. We can only lobby the government and colleagues to listen to our issues and concerns during

business reviews and hope they will include your projects into some budget planning process.

Mr. Speaker, as an example, I lobbied very hard to my colleagues to have an RCMP presence in Sachs Harbour. Although it took three years, the Minister of Justice eventually included this project into the business plan.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I, too, will support this motion as put forward. This is one legislation that most of my colleagues always said that it came to us late in the game. As a member of the Social Programs committee, I think we did a very good job going into the communities to review the SCAN legislation. We heard what the people had to say. We are bringing it back. We have listened to them and we are doing what we heard. I think it is only right that the legislation be referred to the 16th Assembly. Thank you, Madam Chair.