Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak in favour of the motion that I have put in. The reason I am doing it is a little over a year ago, or less than a year ago, directions were given to the Power Corporation to go with a one-rate zone system for the power rates. In the fall, there was a holdback by this government for no reason at all and the board was fired. That was a political decision on the part of Cabinet. For that reason, I ask that we go through with this motion and as politicians in this House, we decide how we are going to deal with this one-rate system.

We can give direction to the Power Corporation to go with a one-rate zone, but all we are doing is telling them to go out there and come back and give them discretion to fire the board again because we are not happy with what they are doing. We are going to deal with this over and over again until we, as politicians, can sit down and decide on how we are going to deal with it. We have to give them direction as an Assembly, not only Cabinet or the Minister of the department, but the Assembly as a whole. We need to decide that. We need to decide what's fair for all the people in the Northwest Territories, not just the people in our ridings or the people who we think should be given cheaper power.

A lot of infrastructure that was put in place 25 or 30 years ago, there was no cost to some of those people who are not paying the low rates. Those costs were there by some of the mining companies. They paid for the infrastructure. We, as a government, just took it over and are running the system for the people. Because of that, some people are paying a lower rate. Why should some people have a lower rate than others? We have the larger centres with the lower rates, the lower cost of living, the lower fuel, the lower grocery bills and freight bills.

Then you have communities that have the high cost of fuel, the high cost of living, the freight, the airlines. Everything is higher. We are telling these people already that their cost of living is high. We are saying it's okay. You can pay the higher cost because we in the larger centres, we need to stay where we are and we like it just the way it is. Nice and dandy. It's good to say that. We can't continue to do that. We are here to represent the people of the Northwest Territories. We say it in our prayers. Give us the power to treat everybody equally we say when we pray in the House, but as soon as the prayer is done, we all go and say it's okay, we can't make any changes. We are just kidding in the prayer.

We can't just continue the way it is. We have to, as politicians, in this House look at this one more time. Maybe it says that the new general rate application is going to be for three years. That is something that regulation has put in. We as politicians can go over there and say look, we made a mistake, we are going to change it. It is just like traveling on a highway somewhere, you are reading a map, you are going down a road and you take a wrong turn, well you are not going to continue on that wrong road, you are going to back up and go the right way. This is what we have to do, let's back up and go the right way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the Northwest Territories has entered a period of substantial economic growth and prosperity;

AND WHEREAS this growth and prosperity is primarily concentrated in those communities with access to inexpensive hydroelectric power;

AND WHEREAS our communities and residents in the Northwest Territories absorb the cost of the hydroelectric infrastructure in one form or another;

AND WHEREAS no community in the Northwest Territories should be penalized because of the reliance on diesel fuel to run their electric generators or their geographic location and lack of proximity to the hydroelectric grid;

AND WHEREAS the cost of diesel fuel is subject to frequent price changes dictated by the world market;

AND WHEREAS under the current rate structure, these communities on the hydroelectric grid are not subject to the same price fluctuations for the cost of power that a community relying on diesel fuel for the generation of electricity would expend;

AND WHEREAS a price structure that levels cost between communities on our hydroelectric grid and communities relying on diesel fuel for power generation would be fair to all residents of the Northwest Territories;

AND WHEREAS with the withdrawal of the general rate application, the proposed one-rate zone in October of 2002, there has never been a public consultation process on advantages and disadvantages of a one rate zone power plan;

AND WHEREAS the views of Northerners are not being considered;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation direct the corporation to resubmit their one-rate general rate application to the Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board so that a meaningful discussion and consultation can take place amongst the people of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought for a while there he was going to say Municipal and Community Affairs decides what the communities needs were. But he didn't say it, so...The communities have different needs from other communities and Municipal and Community Affairs may have a list, a 20-year plan or whatever is up in their ivory towers over there, but if they don't go to the communities, they don't know what the needs are. I would like to ask the Minister if he would go to the communities again when they have a capital planning process which they used this summer and still has been acted on and he might have questions about that tomorrow? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So far he's mentioned two mayors from tax-based communities, so I guess those are the only concerns he would have heard from. I would like to ask the Minister if he would like to go to the non-tax-based communities or even send out a letter or survey to ask them where their needs are for the next 10 years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister if he can give me the names of the communities that the mayors came from. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Honourable Vince Steen, the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I'd like to ask the Minister, of the $15 million to support community infrastructure needs, have they identified where any of these projects are going to go? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the only time I see this road being repaired or maintained is when either a federal Minister is visiting or when there is a community celebration which territorial Ministers will be attending.

---Laughter

Why is this? These are the funding parties and in order to know the poor quality of the road in order to fix it, they must travel it. Mr. Speaker, I feel that I have done everything that I can to draw attention to the safety issues related to the poor maintenance of Highway No. 3. Mr. Speaker, I will not have any questions on this statement as I probably will not get any answers or I may be removed from this House. Thank you.

---Applause

These improvements have been done at the expense of Highway No. 3 and other territorial highways which have been deteriorating in the meantime.

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid to bring up safety issues related to the poor condition of Highway No. 3. The reason for this is because the only response I have received, other than being ignored, is for the Minister to threaten to lower the speed limit on the road that he says is in excellent shape.

I see a lot of inequities in how funding is allocated, and I hear a lot of mixed messages about how Members' input is valued.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as an Assembly we meet in this House three times a year. We meet in February to discuss the budget, we meet in June, and we usually meet again in the fall to plan the projects which will go into the next budget.

Over the past four years, I have raised the issue of Highway No. 3 at each and every session. I have made 10 statements, asked over 30 questions, and tabled documents related to the safety issue of Highway No. 3. I have also issued press releases, held interviews with the media, and written more than 30 letters to the Minister of Transportation expressing concerns related to Highway No. 3.

---Applause

Last week in his sessional statement, the Premier acknowledged my relentless pursuit of improvement on Highway No. 3 and road access for the smaller communities in my region.

Mr. Speaker, it was a relief to me that my efforts have been noted, but I must say that it's too bad that my efforts were not recognized earlier.

---Laughter

We are now at the end of the life of this Assembly. The Premier's comments tell me that I have been doing my job. The lack of response by the Cabinet and the department to the issues I have raised make me question whether they are doing theirs.

This weekend there were a number of federal Ministers in the North. Eighty-five million dollars has been promised for NWT roads and bridges. I am pleased to see that some of the money will be spent on finishing Highway No. 3.

---Applause

But I question why $6.3 million has been targeted to address safety concerns along the Ingraham Trail. Mr. Speaker, it was only a few years ago that both Highway No. 3 and Highway No. 4 : full of lumps, bumps, washboards and potholes. In only two years, the Minister has managed to turn the Ingraham Trail into one of the best roads in the country.