Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a couple of comments here. I’ll start where Mr. Dolynny left off with the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the road from Inuvik to Tuk. I, too, am concerned. I appreciate that the Minister has advised that we haven’t got a decision yet, but we also don’t yet know the total cost of the project. Sometimes I feel that we are heading pell-mell down a road without considering what’s at the end of the road when we get there, and I just want to say that I am extremely cautious about this project. Once bitten, twice shy. And the Deh Cho Bridge, having gone through the Deh...

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Page 11-21, Transportation, activity summary, highways, operations expenditure summary, $64.766 million.

Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, if you would please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister McLeod, please introduce your witnesses for the House.

We move on to page 11-30, Transportation, activity summary, Community Access Program, grants and contributions, contributions, $980,000.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just have one question here and it involves the Arctic Energy Alliance. We, and I can’t remember in how many other budgets, but I think certainly within ENR the government provides a contribution to the Arctic Energy Alliance. So I’m trying to understand why we have a contribution here under MACA and another contribution under ENR and maybe somewhere else. I can’t quite remember; it might be in ITI as well. Why do we as a government not make one contribution to Arctic Energy Alliance in one place, one department for wherever the government decides it should be? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I guess if the Minister is looking to be efficient and to reduce work, I really don’t understand why he’s establishing a committee. We are committed to death, I think, in this government.

I’d like to know from the Minister why we would not simply do something as simple as tying minimum wage to the cost of living and do increases to the minimum wage when our cost of living increases. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. You’re done, Mr. Dolynny? Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Do you have witnesses you wish to bring into the Chamber?

Thank you. Page 11-26, Transportation, information item, marine, active positions. Are there any questions?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to follow up. First of all, thank you to Mr. Schauerte for the info. I wanted to follow up on the hotel levy, and I’m struggling to understand why the department is moving towards consultation. If we have at least one community that has the capabilities, has the desire and wants to use that revenue for marketing and promotion, I’m not too sure why there needs to be broader support. Why can we not provide the authority in legislation and if a community chooses to take advantage of the option, then they can do so. If they don’t want to take advantage of...