Tom Beaulieu

Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

I wasn’t actually disputing any number, I was trying to figure out how much of the highway was left to chipseal. I take it, then, that there is about 1,400 kilometres that isn’t chipsealed. I guess I could see that being a long-term strategy, but how long of a strategy is this to pave the remaining or to chipseal the remaining 1,400 kilometres that is not chipsealed?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister advise me of his findings from those discussions with the RCMP so that I can keep my communities informed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of both the Member and the community, will the Minister discuss the possibility of having RCMP officers complete community orientation prior to taking a posting in that community? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to take time to remember a friend and constituent who recently passed away: Albert Christian Jensen, who was more commonly known as “Tiny,” from Fort Resolution.

Tiny grew up in Swan River, Manitoba, and moved north to Hay River in 1967. He first worked at the mine in Pine Point and then with the government with airports and highways in Fort Simpson, Hay River and Fort Resolution.

Tiny is survived by his children: Ralph Beaulieu, Shelley Jensen, Heather Semenok, Cheryl Bugghins, Albert Jensen Jr. and Chris Jensen. Tiny was predeceased by his wife...

No, thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Along the same line on highways, I guess more than talking with specific capital infrastructure money when they get a position of the government on the chipsealing of all the highways, I see that the department maintains about 2,200 kilometres of all-season highway, all-weather road. I can’t quite figure out where that is, but I generally have a feeling. I know where about 1,500 of those kilometres are, I guess. I might suggest that if you chipseal all the way to Wrigley, we are looking at about probably 850 kilometres of highway that is not chipsealed under that. I am...

Mr. Speaker, it is common for new graduate officers to be posted in the smaller communities. Would the Minister discuss with the RCMP a proposal that sees these new recruits placed with veteran members? For example, somebody that may have 10-plus years or so instead of two new recruits into a community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m happy with the Transportation budget. I had hoped that, like Mr. Krutko, there would be more money put into community access roads or the Community Access Program I suppose it is. I see that as a program for the small communities even off the highway to be able to access certain areas they need to access. I know it was used to access gravel supplies and so on and so forth. I’m not 100 percent sure about that, but I understand that from just what I’ve learned over the last couple of years. I think this Community Access Program should really be targeted to...

I thank the Minister for those responses. Will the Minister commit to working with the federal government and the communities of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e to develop some sort of a strategy to clean up the sites within Tu Nedhe?