Kevin A. Menicoche

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 93(4) and that Committee Report 3-16(2) be moved into Committee of the Whole today.

Unanimous consent granted.

Committee Report 3-16(2) referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration today.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a report from the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the 2006–2007 Annual Report from the Official Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations met on April 9, 2008, to review the 2006–2007 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner. The committee would like to thank Ms. Shannon Gullberg for appearing before us.

The committee is glad to see that the commission’s web site is now operational and information about the complaints process is available in all official languages. The committee...

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 2-16(2) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration.

Will the process include any public consultations? Mahsi.

Quite often it’s simple things that constituents are appealing to the Housing Corporation and the managers, but once that manager makes a decision, he’s not going to change his mind. So they’re coming to me, as their MLA, to say, “There’s a glitch here in the system. I’ve been asking about this renovation,” or “It needs repairs.” Often it’s simple things, and having an outlet for constituents to address those concerns is very important.

I’d just like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, what type of appeal system does he foresee being implemented?

I’d like to recognize Candy Brown from Fort Simpson.

Absolutely, getting the highway back up and running for the travelling public.... A lot of people do travel to Fort Liard and Fort Simpson as well as head over to Providence and Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker. We’re on the edge of the tourism season, as well.

But my question again, Mr. Speaker, is that these sections obviously need rebasing and to be re-strengthened. I’d like to know: will the department declare this an emergency and provide the necessary funding to repair the road up to acceptable highway standards? Mahsi.

It’s a follow-up on my Member’s statement with regard to the conditions on Highway No. 7.

I’d just like to ask the Minister of Transportation: with regard to emergency deterioration of highways, what exactly classifies for emergency roadwork on our highway systems? Is it something like the sinkhole on Highway No. 5 or situations such as this on Highway No. 7, where the base has completely eroded and it’s actually just a strip of mud there? Exactly what would be considered for emergency funding?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Getting it back up and running up to acceptable standards is key and paramount to me and to my constituents. I just want to reiterate, Mr. Speaker, and get some type of commitment from the Minister that these sections will be declared emergency road repairs and that they’ll provide the necessary resources to rebase so — I don’t want to say “washouts,” because actually the road turned into mud is what happened — this won’t happen in the future. Because it’s been happening for many, many years now.

Absolutely. As I said in my Member’s statement, it’s regretful that the highway has to close, because the conditions are impossible. It has actually happened on the long weekend as well, Mr. Speaker. Constituents and the travelling public contacted my office. They’re saying that there’s no signage there; what’s going on? Why are people getting stuck in that highway? And why wasn’t it closed earlier? I’m not too sure why they didn’t close it any earlier there. But like I said, regretfully, they’ve closed it now.

Now that the condition exists, that they’ve recognized it, I’d like to know what the...