Michael McLeod

Mr. Speaker, we had committed, during the last session, that we would have a new driver's licence designed and out in the fiscal year 2006. We still stand by that. We, right now, are reviewing some of the samples that we're putting together, and we have a contractor or a consultant on stream that is working with us to do that, and we have the equipment that will allow us to start producing these drivers' licences once we finalize some of the detail on it. Thank you.

I like the tone that this government has taken. I think they should be more aggressive. I think we have to go after these people and get what is rightfully ours, because he did say that we should be our own beneficiaries.

He also asked if we should invest millions in transportation infrastructure. I say yes we should invest in a highway down the Mackenzie Valley. We should go right up to Tuk. We have to…

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We have to connect the whole NWT by road. Hopefully that will drive some of the prices down. I would be more than happy to back the Minister up in Cabinet on anything that they...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we don't have the final detail of how the notification process will work if you have unpaid traffic violations or unpaid fines. We're expecting that if you go in to renew your driver's licence there will be a flagging on your file that will allow the officer to indicate to you that you have a violation or an unpaid fine. You would then have to go over to and clear up that fine with the Justice people. We don't have it laid out right now, but we're not expecting the Department of Transportation to be collecting fines and to be clearing up some...

Mr. Speaker, yes, the fiscal year I was referring to is 2006, the upcoming 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member has indicated that it is a safety concern for his community. We would certainly commit to talking to the leadership and the residents of Behchoko. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for communications in the Northwest Territories falls under a separate department. That is Public Works. However, we have, as the Department of Transportation and Municipal and Community Affairs, had some discussions with some communication companies to talk about a number of things; first of all, the possibility of looking at cell phones or cell service in the Northwest Territories, to talk about what other jurisdictions are doing to bring cell phone services to some of the remote areas. We have also talked about temporary cell phone...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of buffalo on our highways, Highway No. 3 and especially on Highway No. 7, has been something that we have been trying to deal with for some time now. We have been talking to ENR on a number of occasions to see what we can do to enhance the issue of having buffalo on the road, especially at night, to take all the precautions, to drive slower, to use your headlights in the evenings, and those things. As to whether or not we could incorporate a signal where when we are passing vehicles, that is something we would have to take a look at. That is...

Mr. Speaker, I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Yakeleya on October 20, 2005, regarding the Food Mail Program pilot project.

In order to reduce the cost of nutritious food and promote healthy eating, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, INAC, with funding from Health Canada carried out a series of Food Mail Program pilot projects in three isolated northern communities: Fort Severn, Ontario; Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik; and Kugaaruk, Nunavut. The GNWT did not participate.

The pilot projects will be reviewed in the near future to evaluate the impact of reducing the cost of priority...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize three well-known and respected northerners who are recent recipients of the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards. It is said, Mr. Speaker, that laughter is the best medicine, and with that being the case then George Tuccaro has been curing many people across the NWT for years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t give a specific date, but we’ll have our staff go into the community as soon as possible. Thank you.