Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, on behalf of my family and the constituents of Kam Lake, wish to offer condolences to the fallen RCMP members who lost their lives near Mayerthorpe yesterday.

In 2003, the last year when statistics are available, the weigh scale in Enterprise saw 176 million litres of diesel oil and nearly 34 million kilograms of ammonium nitrate, which is a prime component in making explosives, go through. As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, the vast majority of these dangerous goods were either destined for Yellowknife or for the diamond mines further north.

At all hours of the day and night, including those times when children are walking to and from school, these trucks, heavily laden with dangerous goods, rumble past or through the residential areas of Yellowknife, many on their way to the Kam Lake Industrial Park. The sheer volume of dangerous goods going through the residential areas of Yellowknife and the potential for accidents or spills is more than enough reason to advance the building of the Kam Lake access road.

Airport Road in Yellowknife is seeing a tremendous amount of heavy truck traffic. We certainly need to put an emphasis on public safety. The number of reported spills of dangerous goods in the Northwest Territories has increased sharply, from six in 2001, to 22 in 2002, and 25 reported in 2003. Despite the increase in the amount of dangerous goods being transported, the number of ticket situations has decreased. To date, the city of Yellowknife has fortunately been able to avoid a large spill or accident. We cannot continue to rely on luck, Mr. Speaker. We have to ensure that this access road is built, and many in the community see it as an essential piece of public infrastructure that will address the issue of public safety. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken in the House on several occasions about the Kam Lake access road and the need to address public safety and I will continue to do so, until the road does become a reality. Thank you.