Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said before, squeaky wheel gets the grease so I'm going to keep up this until I hear some good answers, if it takes me, I don't know, how long. If I have to keep running.
What is the Minister doing to raise the issue of such a rough terrible I guess I could say horrible Yukon section of the Dempster Highway to the Yukon government? I did raise this in May, and I know she mentioned that she was going to have talks with them. So I'm just wondering where we are with those talks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, squeaky wheels. I want to reassure the Member from Twin Lakes that both of us are advocating for this. We also have some of the Indigenous groups that are also advocating for this as well, and I know some of them have reached out to the Yukon government to be able to have further discussions on the border side to the Yukon.
And since the Member brought this up in last session, I've met with the Minister. We've had discussions on a path going forward, and I'm actually going back down to meet with the Minister in December. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister I think it's Vandal came up or was supposed to come up. I told the Premier I'd make the drive to Inuvik with up the Dempster Highway with him. But I'm just wondering with the Minister have they had these any of these discussions on this section just because it affects us as residents of the Northwest Territories but it doesn't really impact whether or not that road is upkept in the Yukon for their residents. So I'm just wondering where this Minister has had those talks with the federal minister. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to note that this summer, the Minister Vandal was in Inuvik, and I had an opportunity to travel with him up Tuktoyaktuk and we had a meeting there with the hamlet, the community corp, and it was a really good meeting and during that time, I also stressed concern about the Dempster Highway. You know, we are looking at investing into the InuvikTuk Highway, and that we need to engage collaboratively with everybody involved to be able to have those discussions for the rest of the highway too. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to pushing the federal government to fund in full the Mackenzie Valley, and I think this is not just for this Minister, I think it's for the Premier, we need to fund the Mackenzie Valley Highway, especially if the Yukon will not keep up their end. So if the Minister meets with the Yukon and they're not going to commit to anything tangible while we are in the 19th Assembly, then I suggest we move on and we start to work on our own highway. Mr. Speaker, the residents of the Beaufort Delta can no longer be ignored by this government, the Yukon government, the federal government. We cannot be stranded in the Beaufort Delta with this type of a highway just because it doesn't impact their residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to mention that the Mackenzie Valley Highway is one of my mandate items to be able to advance that project. And Mr. Speaker, we are advancing. We are looking at ways to be able to get this project going. For example, the developer's report is due in the next couple months. That kind of indicates what we need to do to be able to look at advancing the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, advancing on paper or advancing on the ground; that's what I would like to see. I would like to see if the Minister will commit to pushing hard on this because I'd like to see it just like the Tuk Highway. I'd like to see it coming from you know, from the North and the South and let's meet in the middle, and let's get this highway done. Let's quit talking about it. I don't want to be dead and, like, you know, this is something that I know our previous leader from Sahtu talked about the Mackenzie Valley, and, you know, I think this government and the future the next government owe it to complete this highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do want to stress the developer's report and some of the work that kind of advises us on a path going forward. So this is something that we are looking at and working with Indigenous groups up along the valley as well, looking at a number of things. Northern, local businesses, and the list goes on. So, yes, this is something that and the Member knows that, I mean, we want the Mackenzie Valley Highway so bad. So that is something we're advancing. Thank you. So bad.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
