Kevin A. Menicoche

Mr. Speaker, I wish to talk about the Highway No. 1 emergency road closure on May 4 and 5, 2008. There were a couple of washouts that caused great inconvenience and distress to Nahendeh travellers. I do want to say that I do recognize the travelling public and safety of transportation infrastructure is key. But what happened in this instance is that information to the travelling public was very lacking. I don’t believe there was any strategy in place for this road closure, for this emergency.

Many constituents called my office repeatedly, stating that they had no answers. They had no knowledge...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to turn the committee’s attention to Committee Report 5-16(2), which was read into the record earlier today, and I’ll provide our opening comments.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 93(4) and that Committee Report 5-16(2) be moved into Committee of the Whole today.

Unanimous consent granted.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to present the report on its review of the Draft Main Estimates for 2008–2009.

Since the 16th Legislative Assembly was elected in October 2007, the time frame of this transition year did not allow for full-budget circle review that would typically involve the review of business plans. Instead, the 16th Assembly approved an interim appropriation in February 2008, followed by a main estimate to be introduced in the May–June session. In an attempt to better align government expenditures with anticipated revenue, the GNWT...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask the Minister: is there an expected operating date when the repairs will be completed, and could they convey the progress to the community of Wrigley as they see it? Mahsi.

Absolutely that’s the content of the petition. The schoolchildren are very concerned about making the track and field event, which is one of the best attended events in our North, and with our gracious host.

Once again, the communities still don’t understand why the department waited until springtime to conduct these repairs when they should have been done before and not interrupt the travelling public, not to mention the residents of Wrigley who want to get out, too, for their grocery shopping, et cetera.

I’d like to recognize in the gallery a constituent, Mrs. Candy Brown, from Fort Simpson.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Just with respect to general comments on the Department of Human Resources. It was when we were sitting with the Minister in the briefings that we tried to convey from the Regular Members’ side that we had some grave concerns over some of the plans for proposed cost reductions. Particularly for me, I come from one of the regional ridings and am conveying that if there are going to be cost reductions that they be proportional to the regions.

One of the things is that because I’ve got a small riding of people in my community, I thought and I still feel to this...

Call for a break.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the review of the Draft Main Estimates for 2008–2009.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 5-16(2) be received by Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration.

Motion carried; Committee Report 5-16(2) received and referred to Committee of the Whole.