David Krutko

Public Works and Services, activity summary, petroleum products division, infrastructure investment summary, total infrastructure investment summary, $1.265 million.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Aklavik is located on the west side of the Mackenzie Delta and, as we all know, global warming and shoreline erosion is a major problem. Mr. Speaker, I got a call, just before the House started, from the council in Aklavik with their concern with the shoreline erosion. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we, as government, realize that they had a major flood a number of years ago and they had to move the road inland because of the erosion on one of their service roads. Yet, Mr. Speaker, very little is being said from this government in regard to what we are doing to protect communities...

I just have a question with regard to the Building Canada Fund. Again, I mentioned earlier there is a pot of money that’s there for research and development and also for climate change. I’m wondering if the community is able to access that fund. The only department so far that has accessed that fund, I believe, is the Department of Transportation. So I’m wondering, is that also something that the communities are aware of, that there is research money dealing with climate change, and is there a possibility that those dollars can also be allocated to the communities.

Page 5-10, Public Works and Services, activity summary, petroleum products division, infrastructure. Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, again, if we put a bridge there, we wouldn’t have this problem. I think if the Minister put his emphasis on that, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the season, the rain. Again, this ferry operation is basically operated on the cable system. I believe the people that operate the ferry only have to have a Class 3 licence. You don’t need a Class 1. Again, it is a hydraulically operated ferry. There are no captains on this vessel. Again, it is a hydraulically operated system. I think that, if anything, we should do whatever we can to extend the season and make use of the operation...

Maybe I can refer that question to the Minister of Finance. Since he’s the banker here, he might have the answer to that one.

With that, we will take a short break and then deal with the Department of Transportation in Committee of the Whole.

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I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 1-16(4), Tabled Document 18-16(4), Tabled Document 19-16(4), Committee Report 1-16(4), and Committee Report 2-16(4). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

I believe we do have some perfect avenues to take. We have the Deh Cho Bridge Act to fall onto or whatever it is. It is in the process and legislation has passed in this House to take a look at that concept of building a bridge. We have the P3 policy that we are considering looking at with federal investment partnerships. I think that sometimes we have to think of unique ways of achieving these results. At the end of the day, in closing, I would just like to ask the Department of Transportation...This summer alone the ferry crossing on the Peel, because of flash floods or basically major...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find it kind of hard to hear the Minister’s comments regarding not being able to quantify the importance of the trapping industry in the Northwest Territories but we’re doling out money to every industry that’s from outside the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, my last question in regard to the importance of harvesting to people in our small rural and remote communities. People still have to sustain themselves by some sort, unless this government’s willing to dole out more money for income support and put everybody in our communities on income support and make that...