Jane Groenewegen

I would just like to remind Members that we’re dealing with the operations and maintenance budget here. We’re not dealing with the capital budget. There isn’t actually anything on this page with respect to what Mr. Dolynny is asking. However, Mr. Ramsay did bring up the issue of the Inuvik-Tuk highway in his opening comments, which I suppose does give Members a reference point. I just want to caution Members to stick to the matters before us on this page and on this department. Mr. Ramsay.

Page 11-9, Transportation, information item, revenue summary.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. When we left off yesterday we were dealing with the Department of Transportation main estimates. I would like to ask Minister Ramsay if he would like to bring witnesses into the Chamber.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Neudorf.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In previous governments the answer that I continued to get from this government is that the dredging of the Hay River Harbour was not their responsibility, it was federal jurisdiction. What I’m hearing from the Premier today is, in fact, that the territorial government may be looking at taking this on on an ongoing basis and taking responsibility. Just to clarify, is that what I’m hearing today?

As I said in my Member’s statement, the threat to the Hay River Harbour is really undermining the spirit and soul of our community and it is posing a serious threat to our residents as well. We cannot afford just to bury our heads in the sand and hope for the best. The Canadian Coast Guard, which amalgamated a few years back with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, has a tremendous amount of infrastructure, vessels, buildings and employees in Hay River. I’d like to ask the Premier if we could broach the federal government with the idea to perhaps, if they can’t set up another...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure today to recognize a constituent of Hay River South very active with the Seniors’ Society in Hay River, constituent Marion Smith. I’d also like to recognize two of my former colleagues in the House today, Mr. Jim Antoine and Mr. Tony Whitford. Thank you.

Is committee agreed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will also be supporting the motion. At the beginning of the 17th Assembly I did pose a question to the Minister of MACA and I asked if we could begin, as a government, to track the cost of fuel at the pumps and at the home heating delivery trucks compared to the price of crude or what other benchmarks are out there, and I believe that this was undertaken by MACA and I do appreciate that. But we are at the mercy of the folks that set these prices. It does seem curious that when the prices go up at the pump it’s an immediate reaction, and when the prices go down nothing...

When the federal government was located in Hay River with their dredging program under the Department of Public Works, it was an annual event. This was not a one-time thing. I would like to ask the Premier if some of the funding that he’s talking about that may be available through federal programs, if this would be something that would re-establish an ongoing activity in Hay River to see that harbour kept in good condition.