Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Once again the lone voice will be crying out about Highway No. 7 here. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation some questions. I raised it in the House upon my re-election about making Highway No. 7 a priority within our government. He’s had time to meet with the federal Transportation Ministers and God knows how many Cabinet meetings. I’d like to know when it is going to become a priority of this government and when can I get those two words in a throne speech.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly I’ve heard the Member on numerous occasions going back to the last session on the need to look at Highway No. 7. As I mentioned back then, and I’ll mention it again today, this government is going to require upwards of $200 million for a complete retrofit of that highway and that’s money that today we just don’t have. Going forward we are going to try to identify capital funds that will get us at least the money that we need on an annual basis to maintain that highway. I think the Member can look forward to that as we go into the next set of business plans later this year.
I certainly look forward to that business planning session and to see if indeed this government will provide resources for Highway No. 7. My point is that this government hasn’t identified it as a priority in the government and it is in none of their documentations. The Ministers just got a mandate letter from the Premier and Highway No. 7 doesn’t even appear in there. I’d like to ask the Minister how and when Highway No. 7 will become a priority for him and our government.
Without the capital dollars to attach to it today, it’s hard for us to put it in a speech like we heard earlier today. Going forward, this government is going to try to identify capital dollars for Highway No. 7 and we can look forward to getting there through the business planning process that will take place later this coming year.
I believe it’s easier to put them in the speeches. It’s just two little words that I’ve been asking for for nine years. If it’s not a priority of this government, then those words do not end up in any of our documentation. I’d like to ask the Minister to fight for my people, my constituency and the highways that I represent. There has got to be some government documentation to make it a priority and to recognize to my people that it is a priority to have a safe transportation infrastructure.
Certainly going forward, Highway No. 7 is a red flag project. It is going to be a priority of this government to try to identify capital dollars to keep that highway maintained at a safe, safe clip.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. How is this Minister keeping Highway No. 7 a priority with his deliberations with his Cabinet colleagues and the federal Ministers?
My Cabinet colleagues are well aware of Highway No. 7. It’s a discussion that comes up time and time again. I have committed to the Member some time during this session that the Member and I will drive Highway No. 7. I want to get a look at it firsthand. I know it’s experienced a great deal of precipitation in the past week and I look forward to going with the Member to take a look at the highway. Certainly it will be a priority as we go forward.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
