Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just two short summer months ago, Highway No. 7 was described by the media and local drivers as a bog with the consistency of clam chowder. To my dismay, this summer Highway No. 7 was described as a war zone by tourists, local drivers and the media.

I know that the engineers would offer this more technical description of Highway No. 7, the road is composed primarily of frost susceptible soils, structurally weak and most vulnerable to load-induced damage during spring thaw. The roadway becomes saturated, causing extensive pot holing, slick running surfaces and major...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my Member’s statement and questions earlier today, I wish to table two documents that relate to the disrepair and poor driving conditions on Highway No. 7, also known as the Liard Highway. The first document is a letter dated September 29, 2010, from the Western Arctic Member of Parliament, Mr. Dennis Bevington, to the Honourable Jim Prentice, federal Minister of Environment, seeking much needed assistance for making repairs to the highway.

The second document is a CBC Radio transcript dated June 29, 2010, in which Ms. Joanne Deneron of Fort Liard...

Thank you very much. I think that’s a strategy, I think there’s got to be federal involvement. Can I ask the Minister when is his next opportunity that he would be meeting with his federal counterpart or federal-provincial meeting of Transportation Ministers, because I think that’s the point that it’s important to raise the condition of Highway No. 7, especially in light that we want Canadians and tourists to visit our new Nahanni National Park Reserve and get them there and make it easier for them, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke about the condition of Highway No. 7. That’s the highway that runs from B.C. over to Fort Simpson, and of course the proximity community is Fort Liard. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation, can you please provide me an update about the status of the repairs to Highway No. 7 for this construction year? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, this now leaves Liard with one transportation company that provides service to the community. This certainly doesn’t reduce costs or improve services.

I am really interested in learning from the Minister later this afternoon about the status of this year’s work and his future plans of making sure that the highway can meet the grade needed. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a couple of Pages from Fort Smith this week. A Page named Paige McKay, and Julia de Pelham. I recognize the chaperone, Ms. Megan Okrainec. Welcome and I hope you enjoyed your week and had a great experience. Mahsi cho.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to support the motion. I think that the federal government was premature in cutting off the funding. Healing had just begun, people were just getting comfortable speaking out and having an opportunity to do so along with all the other people that they grew up with in the residential school system and their families. The second generation, the younger children, are just as impacted as well, Mr. Speaker.

In my own riding alone, I spoke in the House about taking down the Deh Cho Hall. It was formally known as Lapointe Hall. It was part of the...

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the Minister was able to list some of the other projects in the riding. I am really pleased, certainly, that these projects are moving forward. I just want to get reassurance that it will continue to be moving forward. Mr. Minister mentioned about chipsealing Highway No. 1 and residents of Nahendeh are looking forward to that. I think it was 70 kilometres. Just with that, are there plans also to work on replacing culverts on a further 70 kilometres of Highway No. 1 towards Fort Simpson? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Transportation some questions on some of the construction projects on Highway No. 1 and Highway No. 7 just with respect to the reconstruction on Highway No. 7. I think it was kilometre 166, the section that failed last spring. What work is planned for those areas and how much reconstruction will be done between the B.C. border and Fort Liard? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would be remiss if I didn’t raise the subject of roads in this city in the Legislative Assembly. My colleague Mr. Krutko indicated that in his visit to Fort Liard, he heard that the solution was housing, housing, housing. But for the whole of my constituency as I travel, the issue is roads, roads, roads, Mr. Speaker.

The highways are an important link to the people in Nahendeh and throughout the North. Roads are the lifeline of our communities and so we are always concerned about them. I am pleased about the work that is going to take place in the summer: the chipseal work...