Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear the Member say that. We are very open to going to Colville Lake to talk to the community, to talk about the different infrastructure needs there. There is a plan to put in a water plant for next year. However, it’s still a question of how do we get the water from the plant to the fire. We still need that mechanism. I would be glad to send our officials up there. I am hoping to have somebody in a position to attend the community meetings myself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognize the needs that Yellowknife has and the pressures they are facing in terms of land, but it is also important to recognize that the Akaitcho Dene have a process that is recognized by the highest law of the land: the federal Crown and the treaties that were signed with them. We have to respect that. I will do my best to ensure that Yellowknife has lands that they can use for some of their needs in the area, but I also have to do my best to ensure that the Yellowknives’ rights are looked after. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for his thought-provoking question.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, it is quite simple how the logjam, as the Member refers to the land issue in and around Yellowknife, would end once the municipality has control over the lands that are turned over to it by this government and once the Akaitcho Dene have their land selection all settled. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s difficult to point to exactly all the initiatives because this document is still in draft form. But I would like to assure the Member that the road to Tuktoyaktuk is included in all our discussions and both our proposals. The proposals fit together. It’s all part of a bigger vision statement. There are other initiatives in new areas that we have yet to develop proposals that we’re working on. The Tlicho roads, for example, that we still have to work with the chiefs and we still have to work on realignment. That proposal has to be done. We are also...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the second day in a row I rise to speak about the Samuel Hearne Secondary School. Today I want to talk about the students’ perspective and some of the things that they are saying. A few students have said that they don’t mind using the college for classrooms because it prepares them for life after high school. One student wonders why the pilings were not repaired over the two-month summer break. She thinks the school should be knocked down and replaced before it knocks itself down. One young lady in her final year is worried whether her younger brother...

Mr. Speaker, as we know too well, the price of fuel and power over the last several years has been continuing to escalate, and the price of crude oil has risen more than 40 percent since January of 2005. This has prompted the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Transportation to take actions to mitigate the impact and to continue to plan for future conservation initiatives.

Transportation has taken a number of initiatives in the past to conserve on energy consumption, including rehabilitation and refits of major buildings. An example includes the retrofit of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that. So the Minister is saying that he is working with the DECs and he has instructed his department to come up with backup plans in each community. Is that correct? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course this government is very disappointed the two sides were not able to come to a settlement on this issue. The government will continue to monitor the situation and look at the options available. However, at this point we will just be monitoring the situation and not providing any other alternative service. 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.