I know you guys were on a roll there, Madam Chair. I just want to ask one quick question. I made a comment in my opening statement regarding the winter road and the winter road access across Great Bear Lake and the concerns by elders that the winter road on Great Bear Lake, the ice is thinning each year and is causing some concern for the elders and the people of Deline. There is a long list of communities that this program is going to be benefiting. What are the chances of Deline looking at accessing a portion of the funding to help them out in their winter road? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Very quickly I will make my comments to the opening remarks. Transportation is a very important area in our region. If it wasn't for some of our people and the history, the North may not have been opened up by some of our people. Some of our "stick people" up in the Sahtu may not have helped with the transportation of opening up resources and development that is happening now in the Northwest Territories. The amount of oil and gas we have in the Sahtu...(inaudible)...happened there last year, companies want to spend time up there looking for that elusive mother of all fuels in the Sahtu. Because of the season and the safety concerns, they are unable to do it. I support the Minister in his comment that by having some thought and some design to the Bear River Bridge that you will bring extra dollars into the Sahtu region. You will give us that extra three weeks of doing shopping and visiting each other. This road is open for three months of the year. Down here we have roads that are open 24/7 almost, so for us it's welcome news that it will pay off in the long run and it's something that I want to let the Minister know that that's something we've been asking for for a long, long time. With the increase of oil and gas in the Sahtu region and other potential development, we strongly support this initiative to have the benefit as do other Members in the southern part of the Northwest Territories take. Please don't close the light on the Sahtu region now when we are finally beginning to open up.

I guess my other comment to the Minister is we have a number of small airports in the Sahtu region. When can we expect to see some work done on these small airports in terms of the assessment? If the activity is going to increase in the Sahtu, they are going to have larger aircraft coming into the smaller communities to pick up people, haul groceries or haul people for employment in other areas. Is there going to be an assessment of our airfields in the Sahtu to keep up with the standards of the types of aircraft that are going to be used in the Sahtu region? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a general comment to the Minister and his officials. A constituent of mine in the Sahtu is an elderly lady who keeps talking about the road system in the Sahtu and the need for opening up the Sahtu. I am pleased to see in the opening comments that the Minister mentioned some progressive development that is going to be happening in the Sahtu, and the need for these types of initiatives. I was pleased to read that he's...(inaudible)...some of the communities in the Sahtu in the work that's going to happen over there.

Like anything that we've been dealing with over the past couple of days with this government, still there's lots of need for improvement. One of the issues I would like to look at is on page 5. The department has two successful programs dedicated to improving local transportation in our community under the community local access road program. I know the Minister is aware that the community of Deline has a huge ice crossing that goes into the community each year. At Great Bear Lake, the ice is getting thinner and thinner each year. The elders are saying that it's getting quite dangerous now and the crossing is becoming quite a concern for the people. The road that people have to use in Deline passes right by the water intake station. They asked if I would ask the Minister if he would give some consideration to rerouting that winter road. They no longer want to see it crossing Great Bear Lake. If they could find a more suitable, safer route for the people to use for the winter road. That is something I wanted to point out on page 5.

I know there are other communities that are looking for this program to help them; however, that's a concern I need to bring to this table to voice on behalf of the Deline people.

There are other comments I would like to make later on in the budget. Right now, I just want to keep it short, and I'm glad I hear the Minister has made some comments and reference to some of the work that's going to happen with

regard to the winter road in the Sahtu. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for the notice of the evaluation. Again, Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if he could find it within this department to have an extension of the program for a month or two, because the report may come out very favourable from my region that the program is worthwhile. Mr. Speaker, April is next month and it is Easter time and the kids won't find anything in their Easter egg basket, sir. So, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the Minister today mentioned about doing the review and evaluation of the program. Can I ask the Minister as to time frames that the report will be completed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to again question the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I had inquiries from the Sahtu and people are scrambling in the Sahtu, the communities that have run the early childhood development program, and they want to know if the Minister's department could again look at some other recommendations that you can do to save the literacy programs. Mr. Speaker, that's all I wanted to ask the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister make a commitment to share the results of the review of the Early Childhood Development Action Plan with this Assembly when it's completed? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize for the two questions in one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find it ironic that this government can fail to locate funds to continue such a well-received program, especially after resources are being forwarded to set up the necessary grassroots infrastructure for its delivery. Yet, Mr. Speaker, this government can find funds to create yet another bureaucratic body. I'm speaking of the $100,000 day to day to support the Official Languages Board. Granted, the $100,000 will not be sufficient to manage the $1.3 million that sunset this year, however, it could be a start, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister tell me whether he considers cancelling any other programs for services prior to making the decision to let the sunsetting of the family literacy program of the early childhood program stand? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently I've received a number of letters from the constituents of Deline. They wrote to me because they're very concerned that the funding for the family literacy projects would not be continued. As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, family literacy projects have been funded through the NWT Literacy Council with money from the early childhood development framework for action. It's a grassroots project that works really well with parents to help them see that they are the first and foremost important teachers of our children. It gets families involved in the education of their children.

The program has made a positive difference in the lives of children and families across the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, with the sunsetting of this initiative, the work that went into setting up the grassroots infrastructure, the very thing that made this program so effective, risks being lost. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if a review of early childhood development action plans has been assessed and why the department has not decided to locate alternative funding to continue the family literacy program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.