Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Once again, I will point out that it was a public presentation, and we would certainly encourage the NWTAC to provide people to attend those meetings in person. We will voice the concerns that are being related to us for sure. However, having said that, it’s still our position, and I think it should be expected as standard practice on our part, that we will be presenting our information to the NWTAC. We have committed to doing that with them and have been doing that for the past several years. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this issue for the ferry services is regulated by the federal government under the Canadian Labour Code, and they are the government responsible for this whole issue of dispute.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a side table on lands around the Yellowknife area in the Akaitcho traditional area is something that we supported for some time. We have not been able to reach that level until recently. Discussions have taken place. All issues involving lands around Yellowknife and the Akaitcho area are going to be put on the table for discussion. I welcome that. The department welcomes that. The government supports that. We are hoping that it will be resolved. All the identification will be resolved by January. Failing that, it would need more time. It depends...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is the goal of this government to turn over lands in the city limit boundaries to the municipality as it is to turn over all lands in the different municipalities. Whether that can happen in the term of this government, I can’t guarantee that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve indicated already that we are committed to doing that and we have it included in a number of our different proposals and will continue to bring those forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have discussed this issue of the Tuktoyaktuk road on a number of occasions in this House and I have indicated in those discussions that we have a document called Investing in Roads for People and the Economy, which was put together in the year 2000. It highlights a number of issues around the transportation systems, including the roads that need to be improved, the roads that have to be reconstructed, and we have made submissions to the federal government to do a number of reconstruction projects along those lines. We are now drafting a new proposal that...

This funding is intended to promote environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure. Municipal and Community Affairs has pushed to broaden the project criteria for gas tax funding so that communities can use it to support energy efficient components of other infrastructure; for example, solar panels on a community office.

Mr. Speaker, Whati has been a leader in exploring options for energy conservation and alternative energy sources. However, Whati is not the only community undertaking work in this area. For example, Jean Marie River is looking into solar panel options for the band...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement, I talked about the students’ perspective and the whole thing going on with Samuel Hearne. One of the comments the students made was they were wondering if there was a backup plan or why there was no backup plan. So my question today is for the Minister of Education, Mr. Dent. I would like to ask Mr. Dent if there are backup plans in each community in case something happens to the school. If not, why not? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated earlier, the Department of Transportation plays no part in the negotiations. Our obligation lies with the contractor that is hired to provide a service and we are not planning to intervene in any form at this time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is recognized that the Liard ferry services are very important to the people of Nahendeh, especially the communities of Fort Simpson and Wrigley, and will cause some disruption in terms of service for those communities. However, this is a labour dispute between the PSAC employees and a private company, and the Department of Transportation is trying its best to stay out of the discussions and not get involved directly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.