Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to follow up on Highway No. 7 questions with the Minister of Transportation. I did take note that yesterday the Finance Minister indicated some priorities in his ministerial statement and I was actually taken aback that Highway No. 7 wasn’t mentioned at all.

It is part of our national highway system. It is key and critical to the development of our Northwest Territories having access to B.C. and all the tours and industry that comes out of there. Especially if we are going to look at increasing the development in our region, a good highway system...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to honour one of my constituents, Mr. Wilbert Antoine, who works at Canadian Zinc Mining Corporation. He indicated to me that this month he’s celebrating 40 years in the mining industry.

He began his career in mining in 1971. He didn’t realize he was getting into mining; he thought he would take a short job. He ended up working for Cardinal River Coals in Alberta for 31 years. Upon completing that, he did move back to Yellowknife in July 2002 and spent six years with BHP Ekati Diamond Mine and he thought he was going to retire there. He made a trip...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What’s critical here is that if the Finance Minister is going to mention four or five projects and then not mention Highway No. 7, is that when and if we do get some debt relief that it’s not going to make this list. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation once again, will he push and will he get his Cabinet colleagues to ensure that Highway No. 7 funding infrastructure will be done, should we have the opportunity. Mahsi cho.

I’d like to highlight it as a priority of this government. I think far before we invest in the fibre optic line, we should invest in Highway No. 7. I don’t believe that the Finance Minister, I don’t know if they made a mistake, but he should be mentioning Highway No. 7 as a priority. Should we run into some additional funding or we relieve our debt limit, I believe that Highway No. 7 should be critical enough that it should make this initial list of investment, should we have the opportunity. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation if he can work with his Cabinet colleagues, work with...

I just want to make a note that I’ve been speaking with Mr. Wilbert Antoine. He also indicates that Canadian Zinc received environmental approval from the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board. I just wanted to say to all the youth and young people out there, and those looking for careers in the mining sector, that there’s a huge potential in and around Fort Simpson in future years and we can look to the example of Mr. Wilbert Antoine, who had a successful career. This is an important sector that can be looked at for a long-time career.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to speak about investment into Highway No. 7 or the lack thereof. My residents and constituents are disappointed that Highway No. 7 is nowhere on the GNWT’s fiscal roadmap this coming year. Residents know that the highway infrastructure is key to economic development in the Nahendeh region. Recently re-elected Chief Deneron heard this very clearly during his campaign. The road conditions isolate the people of Fort Liard. It is easier to drive to B.C. for goods and services than to Fort Simpson. By leaving Highway No. 7 out of its plans, dollars flow out of the...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I know that while we did work hard with the capital estimates and trying to do the best with the limited resources that we had, but I am still very disappointed at the zero investment in Highway No. 7 for 2012-2013.

I was just recently in Fort Liard and I was speaking with the chief and the residents there, and one of our focuses, too, of the new Assembly is economic development and jobs and training, and the chief had actually said it’s no use talking about that if we can’t use the highways to get those investments here. So Highway No. 7 is very critical to Fort Liard...

Thank you very much. We wish to hear the opening remarks from the Minister of Finance on the tabled capital estimates.

I am certainly glad that the department is assessing the communities and monitoring them, but I would like to know, are these schools at least on the 20-year needs assessment capital plan. Thank you.