Michael McLeod

Mr. Chairman and Committee of the Whole, I would like to present for your review the Department of Transportation’s main estimates for 2011-12.

The main estimates before you detail the funding requirements to carry out the plans outlined within the department’s 2011-12 business plan. This plan will ensure the protection and enhancement of the Territory’s transportation infrastructure and supports our primary mission of proving for the safe, secure, accessible and reliable movement of people and goods, while looking towards the future at the needs of individuals and businesses.

For 2011-12, we...

I think most Members of Cabinet and Members of this government have really been very straightforward with the federal Minister. He’s talked with a number of people; my Cabinet colleagues for sure. He understands where the priority lies with this government on the Mackenzie Valley Highway. He’s worked with us to fund some of the projects, the PDR work that’s necessary to compile all the backup information and baseline studies that are required. He allowed us to move forward more than any other government in our history on this project. I don’t know if there’s any way to make that any clearer. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We did have the opportunity to have a discussion in a formal setting with the Westec members in Vancouver on Friday. We also had the opportunity to meet privately with Minister Strahl. We had a very good discussion. We wanted to take the occasion to bring forward the desire of this House to ensure the Minister is aware that we place a lot of priority on the Mackenzie Valley Highway and we also wanted to ensure that the Members of Westec are aware of our desire to move forward. We also had the opportunity to talk about other projects that were in the mix, and some...

At this point I don’t believe that there’s any indication that the federal government is not supporting the project. I think many of the Members are aware that it’s a high priority for the people of the Northwest Territories. We try to have those kind of remarks pried out of the Minister. At this point he’s indicated that we’d have to wait to see what the federal budget announces, if there’s anything there. We followed and worked with the Minister over the last several months to ensure that he’s very familiar with this project. We’ve taken this recommendation that we direct our requests in...

Thank you. We’re always pleased to provide the Members of this House with information and updates on what is happening with the project. There’s a lot of interest, of course, as the project moves forward. We have committed to provide a briefing to the Members and we certainly will bring all the information we can. Of course, I indicated earlier that we will not be giving the Members a copy of the contract. That would be something that would require some approvals from other people that are involved in this project. But we will certainly give the dates. When this was transferred over I think we...

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT assumed the contract through and as part of the letter of agreement that was signed between the GNWT and Deh Cho Bridge Corporation in 2010-11 fiscal year, so it will now start to show up in our books once we do the appropriate changes. Thank you.

There’s still a number of internal review processes, as I mentioned earlier, to go through. Of course, I can’t give a 100 percent guarantee that it’s going to pass. We’ve already had one motion on the floor that didn’t get the full support. The details are all in the bill, including the timing. I don’t have that information in front of me. Certainly it will come forward as we move this document forward. Thank you.

We had planned to contact the MLAs, if we haven’t done it already, to ask them to participate and do some promotional ads on this area. We have worked with the Students Against Drunk Drivers, I believe, and some of the municipalities, and of course we are always in contact with the RCMP, the municipal workers and the different sports organizations across the Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Margaret Leishman, who is a strong proponent of the Aboriginal languages in the Deh Cho, to the House today. I also wanted to recognize a former resident of Fort Providence, Mr. Albert Canadian, who recently published a book called Leshamie. I encourage everyone to buy it. It’s good reading. I also wanted to recognize Percy Hardisty from the Deh Cho region. He’s done a lot of work with MVERB, and, of course, his wife, Betty Hardisty, who’s here to check on her little brother. So he’s on his best behaviour. Welcome...

Mr. Speaker, the assets, the contracts, all the dealings with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation were transferred to the Government of the Northwest Territories and they will now start to be part of our public accounts, that is including the long-term debt. It will also be included in our non-consolidated financial statements. There is going to be some requirements for some legislative changes to the act that will require us to now not put the revenues into a special fund, but will now go into general revenues of the government. So there are minor changes to that. That will be forthcoming as we...