Kevin A. Menicoche

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to honour the passing of an elder: Madeline Villeneuve from Fort Simpson. Madeline — best known as Madeleine, as she had been called all her life — was the oldest member of our community. She was 101 years old by church records. However, other elders and community members maintain she was far older than that. She was definitely the oldest one in our community and our region. She had lived a long and formidable life: from bows and arrows through to the moon landing, as it was said in her eulogy. This is significant, Mr. Speaker, because I read recently that the...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 93(4) and that Committee Report 3-16(2) be moved into Committee of the Whole today.

Unanimous consent granted.

Committee Report 3-16(2) referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration today.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a report from the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the 2006–2007 Annual Report from the Official Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations met on April 9, 2008, to review the 2006–2007 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner. The committee would like to thank Ms. Shannon Gullberg for appearing before us.

The committee is glad to see that the commission’s web site is now operational and information about the complaints process is available in all official languages. The committee...

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

Will the process include any public consultations? Mahsi.

Quite often it’s simple things that constituents are appealing to the Housing Corporation and the managers, but once that manager makes a decision, he’s not going to change his mind. So they’re coming to me, as their MLA, to say, “There’s a glitch here in the system. I’ve been asking about this renovation,” or “It needs repairs.” Often it’s simple things, and having an outlet for constituents to address those concerns is very important.

I’d just like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, what type of appeal system does he foresee being implemented?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Getting it back up and running up to acceptable standards is key and paramount to me and to my constituents. I just want to reiterate, Mr. Speaker, and get some type of commitment from the Minister that these sections will be declared emergency road repairs and that they’ll provide the necessary resources to rebase so — I don’t want to say “washouts,” because actually the road turned into mud is what happened — this won’t happen in the future. Because it’s been happening for many, many years now.

Absolutely. As I said in my Member’s statement, it’s regretful that the highway has to close, because the conditions are impossible. It has actually happened on the long weekend as well, Mr. Speaker. Constituents and the travelling public contacted my office. They’re saying that there’s no signage there; what’s going on? Why are people getting stuck in that highway? And why wasn’t it closed earlier? I’m not too sure why they didn’t close it any earlier there. But like I said, regretfully, they’ve closed it now.

Now that the condition exists, that they’ve recognized it, I’d like to know what the...

[English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, keeping what we have is sometimes the most strategic thing we can do. In my riding I have two important highways, Highway No. 1 and Highway No. 7, that have deteriorated significantly this spring. We have had emergency situations. At the Fort Simpson section, Highway No. 5, they have a sinkhole, and on Highway No. 7, the Liard highway, we are just plain sinking.

There are two large sections of that highway that have just turned into mud. It is very impassable to the travelling public, and lots of people were impeded during the long weekend. In...

Absolutely, getting the highway back up and running for the travelling public.... A lot of people do travel to Fort Liard and Fort Simpson as well as head over to Providence and Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker. We’re on the edge of the tourism season, as well.

But my question again, Mr. Speaker, is that these sections obviously need rebasing and to be re-strengthened. I’d like to know: will the department declare this an emergency and provide the necessary funding to repair the road up to acceptable highway standards? Mahsi.