David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re certainly aware of the situation in Nahendeh and the contaminated soil. Perhaps we have some folks from Environment and Natural Resources that would be better able to respond to that question. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. We are putting that under consideration and we should be able to have a decision made probably within the next three or four months on where that asset will be located.

The construction of an all-weather highway down the Mackenzie Valley to the Arctic coast is vital to connect our communities, and to access a wealth of natural resources that are critical for growing the NWT economy and ensuring Canada remains prosperous within the global economy.

Mr. Speaker, the northern most segment of the Mackenzie Valley all-weather highway, the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway, is our first priority for construction. This highway has received much attention recently as the Government of the Northwest Territories approaches some key decision points concerning the next steps for...

The Merv Hardie served this government and the people of the Northwest Territories very well at Fort Providence. It will require some work, a bit of a refit, but certainly, once that refit is complete, we’d look at locating that ferry at Tsiigehtchic. That has been under consideration and we will continue to take a look at where that ferry will be best utilized here in the NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Seeing as it’s Education Week, I’d like to welcome back to the Northwest Territories a long-term Yellowknifer and teacher here in the Northwest Territories, Ms. Myrna Strain. With Myrna are Ms. Tai Blake and Ms. Sam Pearce. Welcome to the House.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour and privilege to recognize a colleague from Nunavut, Deputy Premier, the Honourable Peter Taptuna. He’s also the Minister of Economic Development, Transportation, Tourism, Housing, the Nunavut Business Credit Corporation, the Nunavut Development Corporation, and also the Minister of Energy. Welcome to Minister Taptuna.

With Minister Taptuna is his executive assistant, Pat Angnakak. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to a written question asked by Mr. Dolynny on February 6, 2013.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 14 on the Order Paper. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you. Again, we continue the dialogue with industry and working with the other Ministers I spoke of earlier. I’d be more than happy to sit down with the Member – he’s the chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure – and come forward with a plan together. I mean, we need to be working together on solutions on how we can arrive at more employment numbers here in the Northwest Territories, and I extend that offer to the Member as the chair of the standing committee and his committee to sit down with you. We’ll bring the mining companies back, we can have that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We continue to work with industry. We work with the mines. I also work closely with my counterpart at Education, Culture and Employment who are responsible for mine training in the Northwest Territories, and Health and Social Services through Minister Beaulieu. We meet regularly with the mines and we have to continue the dialogue on the reasons why the numbers aren’t what they should be and we will continue that dialogue. It does us good to continue to work together on finding solutions to getting our people employed at those mines. Thank you.