Robert Bouchard

Total department, not previously authorized, $2.318 million.

Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, capital investment expenditures, economic diversification and business support, not previously authorized, $65,000.

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Minister Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Committee, we’re on general comments on Tabled Document 247-17(5). General comments. Is committee agreed we’ll go to detail?

Department of Health and Social Services, capital investment expenditures, administrative and supportive services, not previously authorized, $33.139 million. Ms. Bisaro.

Total department, not previously authorized, $260,000.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s another session, so I need to bring up the other big issue in Hay River: dredging.

For three and a half years, I have been the MLA for Hay River North, and every session I’ve opened up talking about dredging. I am concerned this is going to create an economic shutdown of Hay River. We are the hub of the Northwest Territories. Because of the drought situation, we are seeing levels right now, in May, levels that are in September or August. That water level is down two feet. We have shipping issues; we have the Canadian Coast Guard having difficulty getting their boat...

I’m just wondering if those officials are any prompter than the Minister of Finance or the Minister of Transportation from the federal government, because we sure aren’t getting any results from them.

I’m wondering if the Minister will commit to having a meeting in Hay River with those federal representatives. He’s indicated to me in the past that the Coast Guard and Public Works from the federal government were involved in this process.

Can we get some results in actually seeing the federal government starting to talk in Hay River about dredging the Hay River? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my statement, I have questions for the Minister of Transportation.

The Minister of Transportation indicated he was going to write the federal Minister of Transportation to get going on the project to do dredging in Hay River. Can he give me an update on where that status is? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m wondering if we could actually get the federal government in to attending some of these meetings if we got some of those interested parties, if we got NTCL together, if we got the NWT Fishermen’s Federation together, some of those types of people who are desperately in need of this dredging.

Is there a way that we can have some of them if we had a Transportation Strategy meeting and all those people showed up and talked about dredging? Obviously, the Department of Transportation, GNWT Transportation knows this. Is there a way that we can make sure that we have all...