Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my statement, my questions is to the Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains.
My first question there, Mr. Speaker, what work is the GNWT doing so that this project, or the Mackenzie Valley Highway, is ready to be one of the projects the federal government is describing as a nation building project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Sahtu. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. We got to come up with a shorter acronym. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've had to practice it several times, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. There's a lot of work that is happening. We are still, of course, actively involved with our MOU partners and, together with them, are reviewing an update to the business plan, to a final business plan, so we can have that ready to go with -- obviously the business plan is an advocacy document, but it also updates the final costing. We are working through the final remaining information requests that I believe at last count we were well over 400, and we are down to the last few. We are -- we did ask for a short extension on a few of them so that we could work with the community of Wrigley and the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation on some of the information they have provided. I had the opportunity to travel there just earlier this month and had very positive engagement with the community to ensure that they are properly being reflected in the proposed project.
And with those two things in hand, Mr. Speaker, that will would allow -- or with the business case, and then with the project proceeding to through the board and through the board process, my understanding is that we are still on track for the work plan to have an EA done this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister for that information update. I can see our -- my constituents are getting very happy. I see the smiles.
My next question is will the GNWT work with the communities of the Sahtu so that they are ready for this project? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, and I will say one important thing that's come on this project is that very typically departments do community readiness working plans on large scale infrastructure projects and would typically do them a year or so out from construction.
Mr. Speaker, the communities in the Sahtu have been are very clear. They want that work starting now, and so I can say we have put an application in to the federal government to realign some of the ICIP money that is supporting the Mackenzie Valley Highway so that we can get the working groups for these readiness working groups up and running immediately and not wait until we're just at the construction stage. We want to get that work started now, and my hope is we'll hear back -- now that there's a government, my hope is we'll hear back and that we can get that work going so that the communities are ready well in advance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Final supplementary. Member from Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very glad for the continuous good news here. It's going to be an enjoyable weekend.
Will the Minister show Ottawa how critical this road is to connect the people of the Sahtu to the rest of Canada? Thank you.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, yes. Mr. Speaker, I've already had at least some introductory calls with counterparts in Ottawa, and I can say -- I'm happy to say that I already raised the Mackenzie Valley Highway as being a nation building project, correcting a critical part of Canada that is right now unconnected from the rest of Canada, multiple communities, an entire segment of this country has no connections on roads, and if we can't get barges in because of climate change, no connections really whatsoever other than by air, we can't have that. That's not the Canada of the future. It's not the building Canada that we are hearing the federal government talking about. So, yes, we will be in Ottawa, in fact, the Member might have a nice weekend. I'm flying this weekend, and I'm flying to Ottawa, and I will take this message with me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy, and Supply Chains. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
