Debates of Feb. 25th, 2009

This is page numbers 2559 - 2614 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library.

The word of the day was going .

Topics

Members Present

Prayer

Minister’s Statement 38-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway

Minister’s Statement 39-16(3): Don’t Be A Number Tv Commercials Launch

Minister’s Statement 40-16(3): Minister’s Advisory Panel On The Economy

Federal Government Responsibility For New Road Construction

Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Cooperative Efforts Needed To Construct Mackenzie Valley Highway

Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Support For Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Net Benefits From Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Tabled Document 17-16(3): Supplementary Appropriation No. 3, 2008-2009

Tabled Document 18-16(3):

Summary Of Members’ Absences For The Period October 18, 2007 To February 3, 2009

Mackenzie Valley Highway

Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Recorded Vote

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Report of Committee of the Whole

Orders of the Day

The House met at 1:35 p.m.

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---Prayer

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Prayer

Prayer

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Transportation , Mr. Michael McLeod .

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Minister’s Statement 38-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway

Ministers’ Statements

Deh Cho

Michael McLeod

Minister of Transportation

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the construction of an all-weather road through the Mackenzie Valley to the Arctic Coast has been a priority since the 1950s. The vision was born out of the federal recognition that northern transportation infrastructure was required to build the nation’s economy and support Canada’s sovereignty.

In 1972, Canada began constructing the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Extensive construction, survey, environmental and design work was carried out until 1976. One of the department’s current employees, Mr. Joe Cooke from Inuvik, was on the field crew working north surveying the alignment. He actually drove the final survey stake into the ground when they reached the connection with the Dempster Highway.

Mr. Speaker, this was a time of great hope and potential for the North and the nation. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by increasing uncertainty regarding oil and gas development potential and escalating political and legal issues at the time. In 1977, following the release of the Berger inquiry, a moratorium on the oil and gas development, construction was halted and the federal government abandoned the route just 18 kilometres south of Wrigley.

The federal vision of a highway through the Mackenzie Valley has been carried forward as a Department of Transportation and GNWT priority

since the department’s first Transportation Strategy in 1990. The Mackenzie Valley Highway was reaffirmed in subsequent highway strategy documents including the Department of Transportation’s 2000 strategy, Investing in Roads for People and the Economy; the National Transportation Strategy, Looking to the Future, developed in 2005; and, the more recent Pan-northern Transportation Strategy released during the 16th Assembly, Northern Connections. It also

has been identified as a priority of this government; reinforced by its inclusion within the government’s strategic initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, a strategy can only be fully realized if the necessary implementation funding is available. In an effort to secure federal funding, the department developed Corridors for Canada in 2002 and Corridors for Canada II in 2005. These proposals resulted in an investment of more than $41 million into the Mackenzie Valley winter road bridge and grade improvements. In 2006, the department also developed a stand-alone federal partnership funding proposal for the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway titled Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast.

Connecting Canada received positive media coverage and public statements of support from the Chamber of Commerce, the NWT Business Coalition, community leaders and members of the public; however, it has not yet resulted in federal funding or partnership commitments to complete the route.

Mr. Speaker, while new road construction in the Territory remains a federal responsibility, the GNWT has not just been sitting back waiting for the federal government to finish this highway. The department has been making considerable progress. In 1995, the department completed the all-weather road as far as Wrigley and commenced operation of the Ndulee ferry. Beginning in 2001, through a funding partnership with INAC and through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, the department has invested in grade improvements and permanent bridge construction on the Mackenzie Valley winter road.

These bridges have dramatically extended and stabilized the winter road season and reduced the environmental and safety risks associated with ice crossing construction. These improvements will ultimately

serve the future all-weather highway. A total of 37 bridges will soon be completed. The only outstanding major bridge will be at the Bear River crossing.

The department has also begun the construction of an access road from Tuktoyaktuk to source 177. The Tuktoyaktuk gravel access road marks a major step towards our long-term goal of a Mackenzie Valley Highway. This could become the first 19 kilometres of an all-weather Mackenzie Highway connecting from the Arctic Coast.

Mr. Speaker, this government plans to continue working towards the goal of connecting the Mackenzie Valley up to the Arctic Coast. New investment of $16 million on the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road is planned through the Reducing the Cost of Living Strategic Initiative. Additional investment could also flow from the recently announced federal economic stimulus package.

Aside from the major infrastructure improvements, planning and research work for the Mackenzie Valley Highway is also underway. We are currently finalizing an economic analysis which will update and quantify the benefits of constructing the route. Through the Reducing the Cost of Living Strategic Initiative, investments, substantial environmental baseline and socio-economic work valued at $2 million is planned between 2010 and 2012.

Mr. Speaker, within the last 10 years, the department has made significant progress towards the long-term goal of a Mackenzie Valley Highway. While the 2006 Connecting Canada proposal and the corresponding $700 million cost estimate needs some updating, the benefits outlined in the proposal, including reducing the cost of living, facilitating economic and resource development and enhancing Canada’s sovereignty still holds true today as they did 50 years ago.

It has been more than 30 years since the federal government abandoned the route. The political difficulties that impeded the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway over three decades ago have improved. There is a renewed interest in oil and gas exploration and development including aboriginal partnership. The recent downturn in the economy only strengthens the impetus to finish the construction of the Mackenzie Highway.

Major investments in Canada’s future, investments in both its people and supporting infrastructure will stimulate the economy and position Canada to powerfully emerge from this economic crisis. The benefits of completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway are greater now than ever.

Mr. Speaker, the department will continue to pursue this long-standing priority. We will continue our efforts to partner with the federal government,

aboriginal governments and industry to push this project forward. All Northerners and all Canadians will benefit from a Canada connected from coast to coast to coast. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister’s Statement 38-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers ’ Safety and Compensation Commission.

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Minister’s Statement 39-16(3): Don’t Be A Number Tv Commercials Launch

Ministers’ Statements

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every year an average of 455 young workers under the age of 25 are injured on the job in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. These injured young workers represent 17 percent of the established Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, WSCC, claims.

I invite Members, employers, labour organizations and the public to join the WSCC in their efforts to empower our northern youth with the necessary knowledge and tools to keep them safe on the job and keep them from not being a number. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister’s Statement 39-16(3): Don’t Be A Number Tv Commercials Launch

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment , Mr. Bob McLeod .

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Minister’s Statement 40-16(3): Minister’s Advisory Panel On The Economy

Ministers’ Statements

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, our job as government is to stimulate and maintain a healthy economic environment for our Territory.

During this time of slower economic growth, it is incumbent on us to play a role in counting the impacts of this downturn and, in doing so, protect and sustain the economic capacity and potential that exists in our people, our businesses and our communities.

Recent events have shown that the economy of the Northwest Territories is not immune to the impacts of the current global economic slowdown.

Mr. Speaker, our government must create and maximize economic opportunities for NWT residents by providing access to opportunities and markets and access to credit and capital. Addressing these issues has become an urgent matter, not just in terms of growth but also in terms of viability of our businesses. At the same time, we need to be guided by a strong and healthy working relationship with the Northwest Territories business community.

To that end, Mr. Speaker, and working closely with the president of the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce, I am pleased to advise Members of this House of this morning’s inaugural meeting of the Minister’s Advisory Panel on the Economy.

The Minister’s Advisory Panel on the Economy was established in the fall of 2008 to obtain firsthand advice and guidance from the private sector regarding Northwest Territories economic issues. The Ministers Advisory Panel consists of 11 Northerners representing stakeholders from a broad scope of business interests in the Northwest Territories. These include the Northwest Territories and regional chambers of commerce, the Aboriginal Business Association, the Northwest Territories Tourism, the Northwest Territories Construction Association, the Northern Air Transport Association, the Northwest Territories Chamber of Mines and Alternatives North.

In this current economic climate, the advice and guidance that this group of Northerners can provide is more urgently required than ever. This panel will provide a forum in which government, non-government organizations and the private sector can discuss policies, strategies, initiative and other economic development issues. It will play an advisory role to myself and to our government. They will insist in the development of programs and initiatives that will be relevant to our Territory’s business environment and the advancement of economic development in our regions and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident that the first formal meeting of the Minister’s Advisory Panel on the Economy was the beginning of a great vehicle for productive dialogue. More than ever before, there is a need for collaborative effort between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the drivers of economy of this Territory. This panel will provide that vehicle.

If the feedback, insight and engagement, evidenced at this morning’s meeting, is indicative of future

dialogues, I believe we are on the path to success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Minister’s Statement 40-16(3): Minister’s Advisory Panel On The Economy

Ministers’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake , Ms. Bisaro .

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Federal Government Responsibility For New Road Construction

Members’ Statements

Wendy Bisaro

Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, transportation corridors, rail lines, roads, waterways, crisscross the vast reaches of our country. They are our economic lifeblood and connectors of communities. But here in the North, those connectors are woefully inadequate especially for travel from south to north. It’s the responsibility of the federal government to fund these new roads in Canada. We’ve known that for a long time. In fact, way back in 1958 the federal government announced that it would build a Mackenzie Valley Highway north to the coast.

The Canadian government actually started construction in 1972 and 210 kilometres were completed, but in 1977 construction stalled and the highway ended 18 kilometres short of Wrigley.

Since then the federal government has been noticeably absent from any responsibility for new NWT highways and that accounts for the lack of a south/north route to connect our communities.

Over the years, the GNWT has had to step into this road construction void. We’ve completed the missing 18 kilometres of the Fort Simpson to Wrigley

section of the highway; we’ve built bridges, affected alignments which enhanced the Mackenzie Valley Highway Winter Road and at the same time, year after year, NWT governments have continually requested funding for the completion of the highway from the federal government. But to no avail.

We’ve had the benefit of federal dollars to cost-share some of this work, but it’s to the detriment of our own financial resources. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Speaker, the federal infrastructure programs are great and I welcome them, but new roads should not be at the expense of the GNWT.

Mackenzie Valley Highway and connect the North to the southern part of Canada.

Our communities need this highway, Mr. Speaker. Our government needs it, our economy needs it. It’s time for the federal government to see the same need. Thank you.

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Federal Government Responsibility For New Road Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro . The honourable Member for Hay River South , Mrs. Groenewegen .

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Jane Groenewegen

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to take a little bit different tack on the Mackenzie Valley Highway proposal today. CBC Radio has recently been running a series of shows called How They Got Here. I want to tell you how highway infrastructure played a deciding role in my coming to the Northwest Territories.

As a student sitting in a Grade 12 geography class in a small town in south-western Ontario, I looked at an Atlas, I looked at a map of Canada, I thought about leaving home and where I would like to go. In Ontario, where I come from, there is a community about every five kilometres, so the thought of isolation wasn’t something that particularly was common to me. But I thought the North would be isolated. When I looked at the map and I saw that rail line and I saw that highway that went straight from Alberta to Hay River, Northwest Territories, I decided that was the place that I wanted to go.

The psychology of isolation is not something that I fully understand, but I do wonder how it impacts people who do live in the North who have very few exit options. The cost of air transport for communities that are cut off from any highway system is very prohibitive to people leaving. In my 35 years in Hay River I can’t really say that I have actually flown out of Hay River very many times, but it was somewhat reassuring to me to know that there was that daily jet service if I did want to leave. But I think people in small communities look at that airplane and no road and if it’s cost prohibitive I think it does play a

part in...I think it can be discouraging to people and make them sometimes feel that if they did want to go someplace, it’s kind of hopeless.

In terms of attracting people to come to small, isolated communities -- that is supposing that you want more people like me in the Northwest Territories -- I think it’s a very interesting thought indeed as to how a Mackenzie Valley Highway would change people’s thoughts about coming into the further reaches of the North.

The benefits of a Mackenzie Valley Highway would be immense. All Members today are going to speak to that. The opportunity at this particular time to consider an undertaking of infrastructure such as this nature could only be a good thing and I will support all endeavours and pursuits of such a highway.

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen . The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe , Mr. Beaulieu .

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleagues, I, too, will stand up here today to talk about the benefits of constructing a Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley to Tuktoyaktuk. My riding of Tu Nedhe will not have many direct benefits with the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway; however, I have hopes that the construction companies will recognize the rich resources of heavy equipment operators that exist in Fort Resolution. In Fort Resolution we have many very good heavy equipment operators and truck drivers.

Heavy equipment operators and truck drivers would have work on the Mackenzie Valley Highway for several years.

In addition to some employment in my riding, the entire NWT will benefit from the construction of the highway. The Mackenzie Valley Highway will lower the cost of living to those communities along that highway and will have a ripple effect on the rest of the North.

The workers needed to construct the highway will take a lot of families off income support. Again, this will have a positive impact on the rest of the Northwest Territories by relieving some of the social pressures on the GNWT budget.

This highway will have a very positive impact on tourism in the NWT. I feel that thousands of tourists will drive the loop using this highway and the Dempster Highway.

Once a highway is built through communities it opens the doors for many other benefits, such as a housing market and allowing professionals into the communities that would otherwise not live in these communities due to the isolation. Many professionals will not live in these communities because of the isolation and the fact that they cannot invest in a house. With the completion of the highway and the possible emergence of a housing market, professionals can purchase a home, build

equity, and remain in the community for longer periods.

The youth and the students will benefit from teachers remaining in the community for a longer term and we all know the benefits of a healthier youth population. In addition, longer term, stable health professionals will have a major benefit on the health of our people.

I support the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway in hopes of employment for my constituents and the lowering of dependence on the social purse which will benefit the entire NWT, including Tu Nedhe.

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu . The honourable Member for Great Slave , Mr. Abernethy .

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today you have and will hear Members of this House speak passionately about the need to move forward with the Mackenzie Valley Highway. The people of the Mackenzie Valley and the NWT have been saying that it must be built for years. Cece McCauley and her Women Warriors have been champions for the cause.

The Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Corporation, or MAC group, has been actively lobbying the federal and territorial governments to proceed with the development of the highway.

Historically, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker saw the advantages to developing the road to resources. Under his direction and leadership, a vast amount of roads and railways were built in order to open up northern regions of Canada to create easier access to resources. Yet his vision has never been fully realized. A Canadian highway system stretching from coast to coast to coast still does not exist.

The 15th and 16th Assemblies have identified the

Mackenzie Valley Highway as a priority. The 15th Assembly developed a proposal titled “Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast” to complete the Mackenzie Valley Highway to the Arctic Coast and submitted it to the federal government in November 2005. This proposal outlined how the highway will facilitate resource development that will bring significant benefits to all of Canada, how the highway will ensure Canada’s sovereignty in the North, how the highway will improve Canada’s northern security and emergency response, how the highway will support the economic and social development of Northerners, and how the highway

will improve the North’s capacity to adapt to climate change. The proposal is on-line on the GNWT website and I encourage everyone to give it a read.

In these difficult economic times a national project is required. The GNWT cannot afford to build this national highway and, although important to the residents of the NWT, this must be a federal project. The federal government continues to talk about stimulus projects. The construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway addresses and supports all of these statements. As a government we need to encourage the federal government to complete this national highway project and connect Canada from coast to coast to coast.

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy . The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta , Mr. Krutko .

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Cooperative Efforts Needed To Construct Mackenzie Valley Highway

Members’ Statements

David Krutko

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also support the efforts to build the Mackenzie Valley Highway. I have worked closely with the Mackenzie Aboriginal Corporation, which has put a lot of time and effort into looking at how they can develop this proposal realizing that it is going to be a major capital endeavour. Through partnerships from the Deh Cho to the Sahtu to the Gwich’in settlement area to the Inuvialuit settlement area to construct a highway from Wrigley all the way to Tuktoyaktuk is a dream that people in the valley have had for years.

We all hear what the high cost of living is in our small communities and, more importantly, in our isolated communities and communities that have to be served by winter roads. In order for us to reduce the real cost of living, we have to improve our infrastructure. With the challenges we’re facing today with global warming and the shorter seasons that we’re seeing with regard to being able to build roads and service our communities it’s getting shorter every year.

We do have to think outside the box. The federal government has been taking royalties and revenues from the old Norman Wells field going back some 50 years. Yet those revenues flow directly to the federal coffers. The federal government owns one-third of the Norman Wells field in which the revenues are somewhere in the range of $200 million a year. Yet I believe that’s where the investment should come from. The federal government should reinvest those dollars that they’ve taken out of the northern economy. Just to drill one well in the Mackenzie Valley costs somewhere around $30 million. We have to do better.

With that, I will support this endeavour and thank the Members.

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Cooperative Efforts Needed To Construct Mackenzie Valley Highway

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko . The honourable Member for Sahtu , Mr. Yakeleya .

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Norman Yakeleya

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would want to add a little story to my Member’s statement. Mr. Speaker, some time ago, the elders were telling stories on the Norman Wells oilfield. Some of the elders claim that, when they passed through, they picked up the oil off the ground, put it in a lard pail and brought it to Tulita. When they got to Tulita, it was given to some of the Hudson Bay and the government people that took it down. Later on, some of the people came up from the south to claim the Norman Wells oilfield. That was about 89 or 90 years ago.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories has been noted over many studies of the vast amount of resources that are waiting to be capped. It has been said over time that the Northwest Territories could be true partners in Canada, if only we were taken seriously by the federal government.

Seriously, Mr. Speaker, the NWT has billions of resources that could be redistributed amongst the people of the Northwest Territories. For example, if the highway was built from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk, we could contribute to the national gross domestic product and billions, almost $58 million alone just in terms of the potential for oil and gas exploration. Just the highway itself on the royalties and the taxes, I understand there could be about $13.5 billion. If we could build a highway, that will be thousands and thousands of jobs just for the Northwest Territories and also have a little bit of room for people from the south to come up and work on our highway.

Mr. Speaker, this Mackenzie Valley Highway would open many resources in the Sahtu and other

regions in the Northwest Territories. The federal government could either win or lose depending on their next move in terms of supporting the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Mr. Speaker, Northrock in March 2006 announced the largest oil and gas discovery in the last decade. The well is suspected to produce 100 times the volume of the average well in northern Alberta. That is near Tulita.

Mr. Speaker, the lard pail that I talked about the elders were saying when they shipped the lard pail out, the people have yet to return that lard pail to the people in Tulita. Mr. Speaker, if we build this road, hopefully that lard pail will come back on it.

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya . The honourable Member for Nahendeh , Mr. Menicoche .

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Kevin A. Menicoche

Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about the completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway. In 1972, the federal government announced they were going to build a highway from Fort Simpson to the Dempster in four years. I believe that it is time to focus our government’s and the federal government’s efforts to achieve these goals once again. The Mackenzie Highway was constructed to a few kilometres south of Wrigley. When construction stopped in 1977, only 210 kilometres had been completed. More than 800 kilometres of road remains to be completed to take the highway north to the Dempster and add the remaining link to Tuktoyaktuk.

One of the reasons that I am interested in the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway is because this will provide much needed economic stimulus to our North and provide a transportation loop that will encourage tourism and tourism-related businesses to develop and expand.

Another reason is that the communities in my riding of Nahendeh will benefit greatly from these increased traffic volumes and if we follow the plan from the Connecting Canada proposal, a new bridge will be constructed and allow us year-round mobility to points south.

I would urge our government to work with our aboriginal groups to develop a unique and joint strategy for Ottawa to show that the North can and will work together for everyone’s benefit. To date the lobbying efforts in Ottawa has been led largely by a Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Corporation and the Denendeh Development Corporation.

The Mackenzie Valley Highway can bring real benefits to northern communities, helping them lower the cost of living, improve their access to other NWT communities and assist with economic development. I quote from our Connecting Canada Highway Proposal. “Connecting Canada is crucial to the socio-economic future of Canada.” For my constituents and I, the completion of this highway is an important project, a legacy that will span from one generation to the next. So, once again, I urge our government to take the lead on this project which everyone supports. Like Obama, Mr. Speaker, we must be leaders and inspire our people with hope and positive change. Mahsi cho.

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche . The honourable Member for Kam Lake , Mr. Ramsay .

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

David Ramsay

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to add my voice today to supporting the construction of an all-weather road down the Mackenzie Valley. I support the construction of the highway for many reasons. It will connect communities which will foster closer ties to families. It will undoubtedly lower the obscene cost of living in communities down the valley. It will create numerous jobs and economic activity at a time when we need it the most. It will give tourism in the Northwest Territories a solid shot in the arm. The road traffic will bring economic benefits to small communities along the route.

How can this highway get built, Mr. Speaker? It is going to take a partnership between the federal government, our territorial government and aboriginal governments in the MAC group to get this done.

The Prime Minister often states the importance of Arctic sovereignty, nation building and the importance of the NWT to the future of the Canadian economy. It is time the federal government stepped up to the plate. Our government has to lessen its shotgun approach to infrastructure. A bridge here, chipseal here, is not the approach we need right now to take to Canada. Yes, we have many infrastructure needs across this country, but we need to have focus and resolve in order to get the federal government to agree to such a large-scale infrastructure project.

I personally want to be actively involved in helping the MAC group, our government and the federal government to advance the construction of this highway. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank those people who live in the Mackenzie Valley communities for all of their patience, and also thank you to Cece McCauley and her group of Women

Warriors for all of their support and hard work in this initiative. Hopefully sooner rather than later this much needed roadway will become a reality for those residents down the Mackenzie Valley.

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister, Mr. Harper, and his government have an opportunity to go down in history as a government and a Prime Minister with a vision for the North and do their good for building this country of ours, Canada, to be all that it can be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay . The honourable Member for Nunakput , Mr. Jacobson .

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Support For Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am really pleased to hear of the Mackenzie Valley Highway construction working together as a government to proceed. During the economic climate, this government must get creative, use our influence and instruments to get various projects off the ground.

There are many shovel ready projects that can start within one year or less in the Northwest Territories. One such project is the Mackenzie Valley Highway construction project. This project will be $1.2 to $2 billion of infrastructure spending in the Northwest Territories, especially the areas not currently benefiting from large mining projects. It would also push the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline one step closer to reality. This project will create 181,000 person years of employment, generating $35 million annually in highway operations and maintenance, contracts up and down the valley and would seriously reduce the high cost of living in many of my communities.

The government must lobby the federal government. They must show commitment. They must allocate multi-year funding even though the government is currently financially stretched. There are always ways and parties that would work together to get this going.

Currently the Gwich’in and Denendeh Corporation, the majority of shares in the MAC group also initiated a P3 lease arrangement for the MAC highway project. I know the government is well versed on P3 leasebacks. Currently there are many similar arrangements across the Territories.

Lastly, this project will generate $250 million worth of construction activity in the Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk portion alone. This would be a huge shot in the economic arm for my region and this Territory. Cost of living would be decreased. Sovereignty would be solved. The impact and

development in a report card from the GNWT is $60 billion in increased revenue, cost of living to $1.2 to $2 billion. Mr. Speaker, 177 is just a start. This will open up the Western Arctic. And on my to-do list, Mr. Speaker, is my deep sea port.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

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Support For Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, my deep sea port, that’s the next thing for me.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to drive from Tuk on my way down to Yellowknife, to Norman Wells, to have tea with the honorary Chief Cece McCauley and all the good work that she does in promoting this project. At this time, I thank the government and all my colleagues for supporting this project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Support For Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson . The honourable Member for Weledeh , Mr. Bromley .

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Net Benefits From Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Bob Bromley

Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in these difficult economic times, many people are concerned about what we can do about the cost of living and others are concerned about economic development to benefit our people. These concerns must be addressed within the context of the accelerating impacts of climate change and fuel costs. As the 16th Assembly, we

are committed to sustainable communities which are those that choose economic development that will ensure benefits to everyone in the community in ways that reduce our environmental impacts and strengthen our health and social structures.

The Mackenzie Highway project, therefore, must address the hard questions that these conditions impose or we will not be better off. Are the reduced costs of living for communities newly connected by highway real? Currently, GNWT subsidizes cost of living in these communities with about 40 or 50 million dollars per year. If costs are reduced by 50 percent with the highway, our new costs will be $20 million plus $35 million annual maintenance. Families will save but ultimately the people of the NWT and Canada will pay additional costs through taxes. If induced development is to provide for these costs, how will we commit to managing it to again yield real benefits?

What are the potential risks and benefits to social health such as increased addictions? Dollars and

strategies will need to be in place to enable communities to respond effectively to these concerns.

Will the highway reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Currently, flying everything in and use of ice roads causes high emissions, more than transport by automobile. However, increased vehicle traffic, road construction and an induced rate of industrial development associated with highway means attention will need to be addressed to this issue. Climate change is already causing havoc to our highways. This means higher road construction costs and higher maintenance.

What sort of development will a highway enable? The majority of the economically, socially and environmentally sustainable developments that benefit our communities are by definition modest in size and locally empowered. How will we ensure that a highway results in a wider distribution of economic benefits to all our people rather than a select few?

Finally, what are the alternatives? Recent studies indicate airship technology has come a long way and is now a viable economic alternative to expensive northern highways. With them they bring year-round transport, reduce the product storage costs, safety and environmental benefits, a positive contribution to the sovereignty issue and better emergency services.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

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Net Benefits From Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

Bob Bromley

Weledeh

Thank you. Industries have indicated that they would give airships serious consideration if they were available -- a business opportunity here. The connection of all our communities is critical and to the degree that these questions can be fully and positively addressed, Mr. Speaker, I support the idea of a Mackenzie Highway to be constructed by Northerners. Mahsi.

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Net Benefits From Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Members’ Statements

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley . Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu , Mr. Yakeleya .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Norman Yakeleya

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the honour and privilege of recognizing an elder from Deline, Mr. Andrew John Kenny, a good friend of the people in the Sahtu and the Northwest Territories.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya . The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta , Mr. Krutko .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

David Krutko

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Darrell Beaulieu, president of the Dene Development Corporation and also a member of the Mackenzie Aboriginal Corporation.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko . The honourable Member for Weledeh , Mr. Bromley .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob Bromley

Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to recognize Darrell Beaulieu, a resident of Weledeh and he’s been a long-time supporter of economic development in the North. Welcome, Darrell.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley . The honourable Member for Yellowknife South , Mr. Bob McLeod .

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob McLeod

Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to recognize Darrell Beaulieu. He’s representing the Minister’s Advisory Committee here this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Welcome to everyone in the gallery today. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The honourable Minister of Finance , Mr. Miltenberger .

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Tabled Document 17-16(3): Supplementary Appropriation No. 3, 2008-2009

Tabling of Documents

Thebacha

Michael Miltenberger

Minister of Finance

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Supplementary Appropriation No. 3, 2008-2009. Thank you.

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Tabled Document 17-16(3): Supplementary Appropriation No. 3, 2008-2009

Tabling of Documents

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger .

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Tabled Document 18-16(3):

Summary Of Members’ Absences For The Period October 18, 2007 To February 3, 2009

Tabling of Documents

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Pursuant to

section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the

summary of Members’ absences for the period October 18, 2007 to February 3, 2009.

Item 15, notices of motions. The honourable Member for Sahtu , Mr. Yakeleya .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway

Notices of Motion

Norman Yakeleya

Sahtu

And furthermore, that the content and results of these proceedings be forwarded to the Prime Minister, the federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Member of Parliament for Western Arctic for their consideration.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway

Notices of Motion

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya . Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. The honourable Member for Sahtu , Mr. Yakeleya .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway

Notices of Motion

Norman Yakeleya

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Norman Yakeleya

Sahtu

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway through to the Arctic coast should be a strategic priority for Canada and is the final link to connect Canada from coast to coast to coast;

AND

WHEREAS the Mackenzie Valley Highway is a strategic priority for the Government of the

Northwest Territories (GNWT) as documented in the funding proposal entitled Connecting Canada: Coast to Coast to Coast, submitted to the federal government in November 2005;

AND

WHEREAS last fall the GNWT proposed a 10-year infrastructure partnership with Canada to cost-share the development of new economic infrastructure in the NWT that will create sustainable benefits for the NWT and Canada;

AND

WHEREAS the GNWT has demonstrated its commitment to this priority through continuing investments in Mackenzie Valley bridge and grade improvements;

AND

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would help to lower the cost of living in northern communities and contribute to their sustainability;

AND

WHEREAS climate change trends in the NWT have and will continue to pose challenges by reducing the length of winter road seasons and by increasing the uncertainty of opening and closing dates of winter roads;

AND

WHEREAS there are northern environmental and socio-economic review and permitting processes that would ensure that this project results in net benefits for Northerners;

AND

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would enhance Canada’s national security and emergency response capability;

AND

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would enhance the assertion of Canada’s sovereignty over the Arctic;

AND

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would further the economic, social and political development of the NWT;

AND

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would connect the Mackenzie Valley communities and Beaufort-Delta communities and improve access to services;

AND

WHEREAS a Mackenzie Valley Highway would provide opportunities to diversify the NWT’s economy through expanded renewable and non-renewable resources development and tourism opportunities;

AND

WHEREAS expanded renewable and non-renewable resource development in the Mackenzie Valley results in significant benefits of employment and business development outside of the NWT in provinces across Canada;

AND

WHEREAS the construction of a Mackenzie Valley Highway should proceed through a call for expressions of interest from Northern and aboriginal businesses;

AND

WHEREAS the federal government is responsible for the costs of constructing and maintaining new highways in the NWT;

AND

WHEREAS the Dene Nation has acknowledged the importance of the Mackenzie Valley Highway during its most recent Dene leadership meeting in February 2009;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the content and results of these proceedings be forwarded to the Prime Minister, the federal Minister of Transportation , Infrastructure and Communities, and the Member of Parliament for Western Arctic for their consideration.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya . A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu , Mr. Yakeleya .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Norman Yakeleya

Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would certainly be supporting wholeheartedly this motion. I would like to give the opportunity to the Members of this House to speak on the motion and I will be speaking to close the motion.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya . The honourable Member for Deh Cho , Mr. Michael McLeod .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Michael McLeod

Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all I would like to thank the Members for bringing this motion forward. I think it’s very timely that we have a discussion on the Mackenzie Valley Highway. It’s been in the media for some time now. It’s a road that’s been talked about for many years, since the 1950s; Diefenbaker’s Road to Resources program.

The road is roughly 940 kilometres long. From Wrigley to the Dempster is 800 kilometres and the Inuvik to Tuk portion is 140 kilometres making a total of 940 kilometres. For many years now the department has worked towards putting bridges on some of the crossings in the Mackenzie Valley Road system. That really helps us when we look at extending our winter road season and improves the safety and things of that nature for the road.

We have looked at many options to try to attract additional funding to construct this road. We’ve looked at partnership opportunities with the federal government. We’ve also been talking to other groups. We’ve been quite fortunate that the federal government has highlighted several new programs over the last few years, including a P3 infrastructure fund that was quite exciting to see come forward. We have yet to see how the details are going to allow it to flow and move forward.

This has been a subject of discussion on many different tables, including the devolution table, resource revenue sharing discussions, and it’s been something that we’ve brought forward as an economic stimulus for the recent federal budget. We’ve been trying to do a lot of work towards improving our business case. We’ve undertaken to do some more detailed engineering and environmental scoping and baseline work required for some of the pre-permitting and environmental assessment phases for some of the projects that we’re working towards in the Building Canada plan. Also, through the Managing This Land Initiative we’ve more recently hired a consultant to do some of the environmental stimulus.

We have recognized that in our Northern Connections document we’ve highlighted the many needs and challenges that were faced with and the land-based transportation is something that we’ve flagged as being very limited. Only one-third of the land area in the Northwest Territories is within 100 kilometres of an all-weather road and only 19 percent of the residents have year-round access. Sixty-five percent of the NWT residents, including Yellowknife, do not have highway access for all year or there are a couple months in there that they don’t have access for seasonal transition because of the ferry service.

Thirteen percent of our population has only access during the winter roads and there’s 3 percent of our population that still doesn’t have any land transportation access at all. Those are very concerning statistics.

We all recognize that the Mackenzie Valley road at this time, considering the economic downturn, would be of great benefit to all of us. It would create jobs, a lot of employment that we need in our communities. Certainly it would help us address the high cost of living in our communities. We’ve all heard from many Members in this House over the last while about the high cost and the continual increase in buying groceries and fuel supplies and things of that nature. We certainly would see an increased interest in oil and gas exploration and other kinds of exploration in different parts of the Territories.

This would open up a portion of the North. Benefits, because of increased opportunities in other areas such as tourism, have to be recognized.

We have to recognize that we can’t build a road without the ability to maintain it. So when we talk about investment in building a road, we also have to look at the investment in allowing us and assisting us to maintain this road. That would create a lot of jobs. We already know and recognize the benefits of our existing roads and the different contracts we have with the communities, and also our own staff that have stable, long-term employment as a result.

Up to now, as I’ve indicated, we’ve taken an incremental approach that’s allowing us to move forward, but, in my opinion, not fast enough. We have tried to redesign our maintenance schedules. We’ve tried to redesign our construction seasons and methods. We’ve also tried to open up the door so that people that are in the industries, for example oil and gas, can invest and work with us as partners to extend seasons.

This is an issue that’s been highlighted, as indicated in this Assembly through this motion. It’s been highlighted in the opening address of the 16th Assembly. The 2007 Pan-Territorial Transportation Blueprint and Northern Connections has flagged it as a priority. The strategic committees that we’ve formed within our government have recognized it as a priority. So this motion today, along with the motion that was brought forward by the Dene Nation, certainly has to identify it. It has to send that signal to the federal government that this is a priority, we are supporting it, and we’d like to see it brought forward.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Great Slave , Mr. Abernethy .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Glen Abernethy

Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise in support of this motion. The Mackenzie Valley Highway has been in the thoughts and dreams of many Northerners for decades; definitely since 1958 when the Prime Minister at the time, John Diefenbaker, and his Conservative government implemented his northern resource policies and coined the phrase Road to Resources. Yet today there still is no road.

In our motion we identified that the Mackenzie Valley Highway would provide opportunities to diversify the NWT’s economy through expanded renewable and non-renewable resource development and tourism opportunities. There are clearly resources, both renewable and non-renewable, throughout the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, where they are located often determines how they can best be utilized. Many of our northern resources are a long way away from southern markets or even communities within the NWT themselves, which makes it incredibly difficult to justify the creation of secondary industries that

bring more jobs into the NWT. For the most part, any resources that are extracted from northern soil are exported south to be processed, as it has proven to be more economical to do so.

The Mackenzie Valley Highway will open up the Mackenzie Valley and increase our ability to access renewable and non-renewable resources. Further, it will ensure a reliable method of transportation to get NWT resources out of the NWT, but also make it more affordable for some forms of processing within the NWT as we’ll be able to get processing and secondary materials to remote locations with greater ease and regularity. Either way, it creates significant opportunities through easier access to resources. Suitable transportation infrastructure will encourage economic expansion, production, and highlight the northern resources as a reasonable alternative to other locations throughout the world.

In his report titled “The Mackenzie Valley Highway: Should it be Completed” Mr. Alan Windhorst said the report on Canada’s National Highway Policy, Infrastructure Canada 2004, notes that investing in highways can lead to improvement in productivity by reducing costs, securing inputs, and reaching markets. The Mackenzie Valley Highway extension will perform all three of these. I agree with his comments, however, as a note, recognizing the importance of economic opportunities that the Mackenzie Valley Highway offers does not suggest that I believe that we should blindly open ourselves to all development.

As Northerners, we have a duty and responsibility to protect our land and resources. Any resource extraction and development must go through a thorough socio-economic, and environmental assessment to ensure that our best interests are maintained.

Also in our motion we identified that the Mackenzie Valley Highway would help lower the cost of living in northern communities and contribute to their sustainability. One of the priorities of the 16th Assembly is to reduce the cost of living to northern residents. Individuals living in small, remote communities with no all-season access clearly pay more than individuals on highway systems. Today winter roads are the only way for many communities to get resupplied in bulk.

Construction materials and other large items can only be supplied and delivered in short blocks of time, specifically when the winter roads are open. In the future it’s safe to assume that this will become increasingly more difficult as winter road seasons get shorter and shorter due to global warming. To ensure that northern communities can survive, we need to ensure that we can get materials to them in a reliable and affordable way; specifically roads. The Mackenzie Valley Highway ensures that our remote communities have consistent access to southern markets, which will make the cost of

things like milk and fresh vegetables cheaper and increase their availability. This is a good thing.

Also in our motion it indicates that the Mackenzie Valley Highway would enhance Canada’s national security and emergency response, contributing to asserting Canada’s sovereignty over the Arctic. In Mr. Windhorst’s document he states that although it is not completed, the Mackenzie Valley extension would ascertain Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic. These facts alone justify consideration for the addition of the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Further, on October 17th , 2007, Prime Minister

Harper responded to the Speech from the Throne, supporting sovereignty and security. Within his speech he said, “For the federal government there is nothing more fundamental than the protection of this country’s sovereignty. Our most important potential sovereignty challenge today is our Arctic doorstep where retreating polar ice, rising global demand for resources, and the prospect of year-round shipping are creating new challenges and exciting opportunities for the North.” This is an important statement. It is clearly obvious to Northerners and it also highlights the importance of the North to the sovereignty of this country.

Mr. Harper went further to say, “Protecting and asserting our sovereignty in the Arctic and elsewhere requires real effort, sacrifice and expense.” I couldn’t agree more. The Mackenzie Valley Highway will cost, but in the end it’s the right thing to do for both the country and the Northwest Territories. Later in his speech, Prime Minister Harper went further and stated, “We have to use the North or we risk losing it. Half a century ago Prime Minister John Diefenbaker extolled his northern vision.

He foresaw that Canada’s future development and prosperity would depend on an efficient transportation network linking northern resources to southern markets. Road to Resources, he called them. So he built, among others, our northern-most road, the 700 kilometre Dempster Highway from the Yukon to the Mackenzie River Delta. The opposition of the day has always dismissed such activities as unnecessary, fanciful and wasteful. History has always proven them wrong.” The Prime Minister of Canada is right. Now I encourage him to listen to his own words. Build the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

It is not unnecessary, fanciful or wasteful.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has demonstrated commitment to this project. As outlined in my Member’s statement, this government prepared and submitted a funding proposal entitled Connecting Canada Coast to Coast to Coast in November 2005. It outlines the GNWT’s position and how the Mackenzie Valley Highway will enhance northern and Canadian security and sovereignty and improve the GNWT’s

ability to respond and adapt to changing climatic conditions. The highway will support the renewable and non-renewable industry, facilitate the diversification of the NWT economy and improve the quality of life of its citizens who will gain better access to essential services, increased mobility, and lowering the cost of living. These benefits will help us experience safer, healthier communities, which is consistent with the 16th Assembly’s

strategic vision.

Regardless of the significant benefits this highway will have for Northerners, it should be, and must be, a national project. It can and will benefit all Canadians. It will be part of a national highway system which links all three of our coasts, which is crucial to the socio-economic future of Canada. Building it will create significant economic stimulus in Canada and the Northwest Territories, which is good for all Canadians. At the end of the day we’ll have something permanent rather than temporary, as I fear many of the stimulus projects supported by the federal government will be.

I encourage Prime Minister Harper to listen to us today, to put some of his stimulus dollars into long-term Canadian projects; a project that will increase the employment across this country, employment opportunities for Canadians from every province and territory, a national project. Let’s connect Canada from coast to coast to coast. The federal government should advance the funding required and proceed with the planning and construction for the Mackenzie Valley Highway and make this project a priority as part of the Conservative government’s stimulus initiatives.

I support this motion. Cece McCauley has said it a thousand times, if not more: the Mackenzie Valley Highway is needed and now is the time.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy . The honourable Member for Frame Lake , Ms. Bisaro .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Wendy Bisaro

Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the outset I want to state that I am in support of this motion wholeheartedly. I mentioned in my Member’s statement that I feel that it’s the responsibility of the federal government to fund and look after new roads within the provinces and territories within our country. The GNWT is unable financially to fund a project the size of the Mackenzie Valley Highway on its own and we shouldn’t have to if the federal government their responsibility and they should.

There are a huge number of positive impacts for this particular project. The positive impacts for our communities for me, probably the foremost one, is that we should see a decrease in the cost of living and an increase in our general quality of life is what should occur. With costs of food, housing, gas,

home heating fuel, all those things going down, it can only be of benefit to all of our communities, particularly those who are now off the road network.

And there will be an increase in the economic development projects that are available to these particular communities. Having a highway access is going to make it far easier for them to bring in materials.

There’s a positive impact for government, both the federal government and the territorial government. This particular project is large enough it’s going to create an economic stimulus within the NWT, but also within all of Canada. It’s not a project we can complete on our own. We certainly don’t have the manpower.

It’s going to be a benefit to the federal government in that it’s going to increase our claim to sovereignty over the Arctic, and that’s been mentioned already by Mr. Abernethy . As well, it’s going to increase the security of our country and the security of the northern part of our country. That’s a huge benefit to the federal government.

It’s a positive impact for businesses within the North and outside, as well, through the South. It’s going to be an increase in the access to resources for many businesses. I think it was Mr. Abernethy who mentioned exploration. I’m sorry, it was Mr. McLeod who mentioned exploration for mining and exploration for oil and gas. If we have a road going north it’s going to open up huge tracts of land within the NWT to exploration and to companies who want to start a business here.

It’s been well known that many companies don’t come to the NWT to establish a business because of the huge costs that are involved because we don’t have infrastructure. They’ve said that out loud. Their costs are going to go down. It’s likely going to encourage them to come here.

I see a benefit for the Mackenzie Gas Project, should we ever get approval from the federal government to go ahead.

However, there are negative impacts of a project this size, as well, and Mr. Bromley spoke to many of those. It’s a huge project and it will bring a large influx of people into our Territory; people who are here temporarily, but people nonetheless who are going to have an impact on the communities close to the highway as it’s being built. We have to consider really carefully whether or not we want this project because of the negative impacts and what those negative impacts are going to be. We also have to plan to work around them.

Our communities are going to be affected socially by the numbers of peoples that are going to be around. The fact that they’re transient as opposed to being permanent residents often makes it more difficult to deal with them.

There’s going to be an increase in greenhouse gas production because of this particular project. Any construction project is going to add to that. So we need to weigh one against the other. Is the negative impact going to outweigh the positive? In my mind it does, but we still have to look at it.

It’s going to have an impact on the environment. We can’t carve a strip from Wrigley to the Arctic Ocean without looking at the impact it’s going to have on our environment. It’s going through our lands. We need to consider the effect it’s going to have on all of these lands as it goes through. My feeling is we can’t have construction at any cost. We need to weigh one against the other.

This project has long been ignored by the federal government in spite of all the overtures that the GNWT has put forward to the feds to try to get them to come to the table. We’ve made requests for assistance, we’ve made proposals to try to partner, and they are, so far, studiously ignoring us. This project should be a priority for the federal government on so many levels and in so many quarters that it’s hard to mention them all. It needs to be a priority for them now and it’s a project which must be started now; not now, but right now. I think we’ve waited 50 years for this project to be finished. That’s way too long. As I said the other day on another project, let’s get started.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro . The honourable Member for Nahendeh , Mr. Menicoche .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Kevin A. Menicoche

Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad I have an opportunity to speak to this motion generated by all the Members. We share the same interest of building our Mackenzie Valley Highway and completing it right up to Tuktoyaktuk. The time is right now that we take initiative and jump on the federal government to say, look, this is something that our North wants.

I think the key thing that I mentioned in my Member’s statement was that we have to develop a joint strategy. I know that the Mackenzie Valley Aboriginal Corporation is doing their lobbying. I know that the Minister is doing his share as well. But I believe that what Ottawa likes to see is a combined effort, that we’re at the door at the same time, lobbying them. This means that we’re unified in what we want and I believe that’s important. I urge the Minister and our government to take the lead in this, sit down with the MAC group, develop a joint strategy for going to Ottawa and talking to the Minister of Transportation , to the infrastructure

Ministers, to get support from our Member of Parliament, and some of the opposition parties as well. All these are key in Ottawa. They operate much like us. The Ministers have to be lobbied from all sectors to show that there is support; not only unified support from the North but also that we’ve done our legwork in Ottawa. All that has to be done soon, because ever since the federal government announced their infrastructure plan for Ottawa they’ve gotten many, many infrastructure projects being lobbied and bandied about. Many of them are probably further advanced than ours.

So they’re there and knocking at the doors. In fact, I think Minister Flaherty was in the news the other day saying how are we going to get this money out when there’s so many challenges, so many projects out there. I think our key thing is we have to get ours on that book too. Just how to develop that.

The important thing, too, if I can get specific to when that highway was first constructed in the ‘70s, was that it was created through a federal initiative. But the whole thing about it was that we created a project called Hire North. It was about hiring Northerners, getting as many Northerners involved in that project. It was about training them. In fact, what happened was we trained a whole generation of heavy equipment operators. We provided, at that time, the stimulus for aboriginals to become business owners and a whole skilled force that was around for the construction industry.

In fact, after the project was completed it benefited many other northern projects throughout the North, that Hire North project. We still feel the benefits from those people who learned and trained from that Hire North project. But it’s time for another generation to step forward and do that again. It’s time for the federal government to step forward and provide us those resources to train our people, to provide a whole level of stimulus and a whole level of new workforce. The investment in jobs, put money in our people’s projects, and it’s also investment into the North.

As well as the federal government, one of their big projects that’s been at their door for many, many years, of course, is the Mackenzie Valley Gas Pipeline project. Everybody up North here has always told any federal Member of Parliament or any federal Minister that the cheapest way, the best way to provide a stimulus package to the Mackenzie Valley Gas Pipeline project is to build a road. And here we are at the juncture. I believe that. I always say the point of power is in the moment. Now is the time to act.

We have to sell this point, that here’s another way that if you’re indeed interested in the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, provide us the resources and the guarantee that we can fast track this Mackenzie Valley Highway project.

I concur with Mr. Abernethy that it’s not only an NWT project, it’s a national project. It will take joint

effort. I believe we can get it done. It’s important to all Canadians. I think in my Member’s statement, as well, I mentioned that the road will begin from Simpson and developing a bridge is very important and I believe that starting at the Liard River Bridge is equally important to this strategy. In fact, I think I mentioned it last week in a Member’s statement that we have to start doing some baseline work around bridges and provide at least a bird’s eye view of how much they’re going to cost. I think I mentioned a class D estimate.

I believe we can come up with the resources to do that in our next business planning cycle or capital planning cycle. At least provide some of those resources to get that baseline work done so we know where we stand. It will probably also be part of redoing our Connecting Canada proposal as well. I’m not too sure if the Minister has looked at that yet, but it’s indeed a lot of work that went into Connecting Canada. It’s a well-thought-out, well-planned package, and I believe that the ministry is going to have to sit down, redo it, provide a nice package that we can present to Ottawa.

In fact, in this case it will probably have to be a joint effort working with the Mackenzie Valley group, because they’ve got their own engineering estimates. They’ve got a lot of the background work done. In fact, they’ve already got agreements, as well, with a lot of the regional corporations and regional groups throughout the valley.

Just in closing, it’s a very good package, a very good motion. I urge our government to move forward with it as quickly as we can. Like I said, there are many infrastructure projects from across Canada that have been bandied about in Ottawa and we have to get our foot in the door. Just showing a united front, that it’s something that all Northerners support, that all aboriginal groups support in the North and we, as a government, support will go a long ways in opening up eyes in Ottawa.

There is no better way to stimulate our economy by a huge infrastructure like this. It will employ people. It will create training. That is one of our roles in government. I believe this fits it to a tee. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be supporting this motion and thank Members for providing such a worthwhile motion. Mahsi cho.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche . To the motion. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes , Mr. Robert McLeod .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Robert C. McLeod

Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, of all the Member’s statements that I have done in this House, one that I always remember was brought to my attention when I was down in Tuk just before Christmas. This little lady came up to me and said, I really like your ‘I have a dream’ speech. That is when I stood up and said that I have a dream and

that dream is the Mackenzie Valley Highway. It is something that I am glad to see the motion come forward. I think we have had another one before but this is one where I think it is, especially in this day and age, badly needed.

I am not sure what more we have to say on this issue. They have heard us. Some of us have even voted Conservative, so I am not sure why they are not listening.

---Laughter

They spoke about Arctic sovereignty. They went up to Inuvik to make this announcement and it was a much anticipated announcement. We find out that they are naming a boat after a man who had a dream, and that dream was the first part of the Mackenzie Valley Highway. I am just hoping 50 years from now we can gather in Inuvik and we can say that we are going to name a battleship after Stephen Harper because he went to war for us on this highway which he truly believed in. I am hoping to see that in 50 years and not name a rowboat or something after him.

Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity here. We have a huge opportunity. This could be the start of something very good to hopefully speak to Ottawa in a unified voice. Because I think up here in the Northwest Territories it is the only way we are going to be able to get any big amounts of money, is if we go down there with a unified voice that applies to the Mackenzie Valley Highway. We can’t be all just down there doing our own thing. This would also apply to devolution talks. If we are able to get on the same page and go down there and speak to them as a unified voice, I think we would go a long way into moving our issues forward.

I think sometimes they just kind of stand back and let us have at it and just continue to carve off the Northwest Territories as they see fit. I think it is time and this could be the start of something where we stand up and say enough is enough. We will all get on the same page and sing from the same songbook, get down there and hopefully get some items done.

They talk about Arctic sovereignty a lot. I was just thinking of the U.S. back in the Second World War when they felt that their land was going to be threatened. They didn’t just talk about it for 20 years. They just went in, bang, they built a road. That legacy project is still there today. But they didn’t just talk about it, Mr. Speaker, they acted on it.

This is a project that I think will have…You hear some of the negative comments. Everything we do, there is going to be some negative impact, but we have to do what we can to mitigate that.

This is something I see that would be of great benefit to people across the Northwest Territories. We have in every community along the way, Mr. Speaker, people that have equipment. There are people that know how to operate the equipment. I think, in one of the Members’ statements before, they spoke about how this may reduce the cost on the social programs part of it, reduce the cost on social housing. I have always been a firm believer that a lot of people out there, Mr. Speaker, will want to go out and get an honest day’s dollar for an honest day’s work.

This is something I think they would be able to go out, take some pride in being able to contribute to something. We have enough people in the Northwest Territories, I believe, without having to bring in 75 percent of the workforce to be able to do this work. If it is one thing that people in the Northwest Territories are good at, it is operating equipment, because we have been doing it for a long time. Every community has contractors in that community who would be able to benefit and if there are more than two or three in each community, then they can partner up.

This is something that I see would be just a great benefit, Mr. Speaker, and I am glad to see that this motion is being brought forward again. There is just so much I can say and so much I would like to say, but at the end of the day, I think the people in Ottawa have to be listening. They realize that this is a project and, as somebody said, not just benefiting the Northwest Territories but it is benefiting a lot of Canada too, a lot in Alberta. A lot of the equipment and the stuff we get up here, we are going to have to get from somewhere because we don’t make it ourselves.

It is going to have to come from somewhere. I would be pleased to support this motion. I thank the Members on the other side for bringing it forward and I will add my voice to it. Thank you.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. To the motion. The honourable Member for Hay River South , Mrs. Groenewegen .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Jane Groenewegen

Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to speak in support of the motion. I think the motion was very well composed and worded and it was a joint effort between the Cabinet and the Regular Members, the composition of this motion. I think it really covers all the bases. I think that there is very little that can actually be added to the motion. I think that this project is a natural. It fits the times. It fits the aspirations of the federal government in terms of sovereignty. I think that any potential negative impacts can be managed.

Mr. Speaker, it is fine for us all here to pass a motion, speak to it, say what a great idea it is, but how are we going to get the attention of Ottawa on this matter? Now we go down to Ottawa in all

different kinds of approaches to the North and the things that we want to see done. There is also a novel idea out there to the government. We are all busy here doing stuff. Maybe we shouldn’t send any of the Cabinet Ministers down to Ottawa. Maybe we should hire Cece McCauley, put her on contract, get her to get some other women together, send her down to Ottawa with some very powerful outspoken women from the Northwest Territories and maybe we will get some results. It is just an idea. I don’t know how we can do any worse than what we generally come home with.

No insult to our friends across the floor, but perhaps Cece could torment them. Maybe when we name a battleship after somebody, it won’t be Stephen Harper. Maybe we will name a battleship after Cece McCauley. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen . To the motion. The honourable Member for Nunakput , Mr. Jacobson .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Jackie Jacobson

Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be supporting the motion. I am really pleased to see it come this far in regards to all 19 Members working together. In my riding in Nunakput, this will directly affect it and help the cost of living. Maybe, you know, quality of life will pick up and maybe we wouldn’t have to struggle so much for the food for our families, fuel to heat our homes and gasoline to go hunt caribou. If those prices dropped, I think there would be a lot more ease to the people in my riding.

Jobs from the project would be well utilized from Northerners. I know there is a lot more skilled labour up in the Beaufort-Delta and the Territory, and then the Beau-Del in the Sahtu will be connected to the capital. Right now the Beaufort-Delta is connected to Whitehorse, Yukon. That is where we do all of our shopping. That will change. I always say Nunakput has all the oil and gas. Now we will be able to tap into that resource. Norman, you have gas too.

---Laughter

The upside to that, we are going to open up the Western Arctic for a deep sea port. That is going to bring the cost of food and everything right down. Our sovereignty issues, you know the rangers will have backup then. Right now we have to get them flown in. They will be able to drive in. Rangers are such an important program up in the Beaufort-Delta and the Northwest Territories. It is good to have them.

If we want to go out on a holiday, we would be able to drive out, not fly when you pay almost $1,000 a ticket. I have nine kids. That is almost half a year’s wage.

---Laughter

I am trying to bring this into reality for everybody. My family is big. Then we could always say it is not sea to sea to river, it is sea to sea to sea.

Mr. Speaker, I helped Mr. Abernethy again in his statement so I ran out of stuff, so thank you and I am supporting the motion. Thank you.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson . To the motion. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe , Mr. Beaulieu .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Tom Beaulieu

Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. There’s not really a whole lot to add to what all that has been said in the House here today on the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

I’ll just make a couple of comments on the statement by Minister Michael McLeod saying 3 percent of the people of the Northwest Territories have no access, winter or otherwise, at all from the highway. That includes Lutselk’e.

I know that the benefits from this Mackenzie Valley Highway are tremendous. I know for Tu Nedhe it is employment for the guys out of Fort Resolution that are heavy equipment operators, the guys out of Lutselk’e that are heavy equipment operators and so on.

I think one of the key things is that when the government is able to build a highway through communities and effectively lower the cost of living in those communities, then we are able to make a concentrated effort on the communities that do have a high cost of living that have no highway access at all, like winter road access like Lutselk’e. I think, when you take an issue and you concentrate it down on the very worst of it, then the communities that have no winter road or an all-weather highway access like Lutselk’e, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour in Mr.

Jacobson ’s riding, then I think we are able to then make better progress. Right now, the issue is so spread out that it is difficult to try to get right down to concentrating on which areas of cost of living we are going to address.

As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, the impacts and benefit of tourism, I think that is probably bigger than even the actual construction. There will be a tremendous amount of business and, regionally, the spinoffs from the construction of this highway, not only the operators but the businesspeople and everything that it takes to have that many people working in the Northwest Territories, there are tremendous economic spinoffs from that. Once that is completed, I think the fact that you are able to have communities that are connected, you have a good loop for tourists and so on. I think those tourists that come up do leave

money behind in the Northwest Territories and that is the idea. That is a reason they come. I think that is another thing that is going to be very positive if this Mackenzie Valley Highway was to be built, elimination of isolation.

I know there are issues sometimes with some elders that don’t want to see an all-season road because of the social impacts and so on. That happened in the past. There are communities that stop the highway from going right through their community because of the fear of social impacts that accompany an all-season highway. I think those were the times then.

I think today we have dealt with a lot of those types of impacts. We have dealt with it certainly when the diamond industry has come into the Northwest Territories and a lot of money that has come to Yellowknife and surrounding communities. We have had to deal with the social impacts of that, socio-economic impacts. I think that if we are cautious and we work with the communities and so on, that we can deal with those things.

I think when you put people on the highway, you do make them independent a little bit. You are relieving the dependency on the government. You are allowing people to get out, to travel. And if it is travel for employment, it is a lot easier to put your family in a vehicle and travel somewhere. If you are travelling on holidays, it is cheaper and so on. I think those will benefit.

Like I indicated in my Member’s statement, I do believe that there will be a reduction in the reliance of social programs in that community. Going back to what I just said earlier, once you have less people relying on something, then it is a lot easier for the government to concentrate on the people that are still on the social programs and so on, and easier to work with them and a smaller group and, for sure, more progress will be made.

I support the Mackenzie Valley Highway definitely. I think it has a lot more benefits I think than what we have come up with here today. I think we will recognize that and will see that when the time comes when the highway is built. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu . To the motion. The honourable Member for Kam Lake , Mr. Ramsay .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

David Ramsay

Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am obviously going to speak in favour of the motion that is before us today, for a variety of reasons. I just wanted to start out by thanking Cabinet. This is a joint initiative, a joint effort on behalf of the government as a whole. I appreciate their efforts. It was very nice hearing my colleague, Mr. McLeod,

and the passion in his voice. I am glad to hear that again, Mr. Speaker.

I want to start out with the cost of living. The cost of living is something that many Members, especially Members from small communities, talk about, and communities located in the Mackenzie Valley. They need some reprieve from these outrageous high costs of goods. They need more surety in the movement of goods. Mr. Jacobson spoke of the quality of life that this would add to residents in those communities. I couldn’t support that any more than supporting this motion today is one step in that, Mr. Speaker, but it is a big issue and something that we need to address.

Also, the fact that it leads to mobility for our residents, brings communities closer together. Many of the communities located in the Mackenzie Valley share many family ties. It would be much easier to get in your truck or vehicle and drive to the closest community to visit your family and friends. That is something I think that isn’t lost on me. I think that is a big aspect of this in bringing communities closer together.

Some Members have already spoken about tourism. A bit of my background is in tourism. Believe me, if you had a newly constructed Mackenzie Valley Highway, people from around the world would want to drive on it. They would want to stay in communities. They would want to stay in parks, in campgrounds. It would certainly add to the economic development activity in smaller communities, looking at gas stations, restaurants, parks, hotels and other service related businesses.

Also, Minister Michael McLeod spoke to the aspect of exploration and development in mining and oil and gas. That is something that we shouldn’t overlook, especially at the price. It is between 1.5 and 2 billion dollars of construction costs. That would mean work for Northerners. That would mean training opportunities and development of our workforce, especially when times are tough and the economy is slumping. I think it is a perfect opportunity now more than ever to take a look at how we can get this highway constructed.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we need a unified approach. We need to understand that there are numerous infrastructure needs across our Territory but, from my time here, Mr. Speaker, what I see oftentimes is we go forward with smaller projects. I am not saying we don’t need those projects. Yes, we do. They are important but I think what we have to do in terms of trying to get this highway built, and I try to put myself in the shoes of the federal government. If I am the federal government or the Prime Minister, I want to look at something that I can put my name on, I could support wholeheartedly. It is a project, like I said earlier, a nation building project, a legacy

project, something that is going to develop this country. Many politicians in this country have used that quote ‘from coast to coast to coast” and we can finally get that highway down the Mackenzie Valley and into Tuktoyaktuk and finally we’ll have a highway system in this country from coast to coast to coast. I think it’s a project of this magnitude that the federal government is looking to put its stamp on. I firmly believe that the federal government is interested in this project. I know the government has helped us get this motion here today. We need to focus.

We need to work as a unified northern people here. We need to go to Ottawa with one voice. We have to come up with a plan on how the highway is going to get built, what the involvement of our government is going to be, what the involvement of the federal government is going to be and our partner, the MAC group, as well. These are some of the things, Mr. Speaker, that are important. I’d like to see that move forward.

Certainly we need to also...I know the Premier has come to us recently with a plan to up the stakes in Ottawa. You know, to get our message out, to ramp things up there. I support the Premier 100 percent in that. I support Cabinet in what they’re trying to do in Ottawa, but what we’ve been doing to date, Mr. Speaker, just hasn’t been effective. Like I said, we need to step things up a bit. I’m glad the Premier has come forward with some suggestions on how to do that. I support that wholeheartedly. I think we need to keep our eye on the big prize, Mr. Speaker, and that big prize is the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Now, more than ever, I think we have to support the construction of this highway. Again, it has to be everybody pulling in the same direction in order for it to happen.

Again, I appreciate all of the comments that have come from all the Members and look forward to the others that are coming along. I certainly will be supporting the motion. Thank you.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay . To the motion. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta , Mr. Krutko .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

David Krutko

Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, will be supporting the motion. I, for one, feel that this project is long overdue. I think as a government we have to make this project a top priority of the 16th Assembly. We have to send the

message loud and clear to Ottawa that it is a top priority and that we need federal investment for this major project.

Mr. Speaker, this highway was serving back in the ‘70s. Even during our land claims negotiation talks this highway was withdrawn from those negotiations to allow for the right-of-way of the Mackenzie Highway to stay intact and that those

agreements clearly defined that right-of-way for the Mackenzie Highway.

Mr. Speaker, this is going to be one of the biggest capital projects for the Government of the Northwest Territories in history. We’re looking at somewhere in the range of $1.8 billion to possibly $2 billion at the end of the day. Mr. Speaker, no other project was bigger than that except for the Mackenzie pipeline, which is $16 billion. Again, Mr. Speaker, there are ways of economy of scale by doing this jointly along with the Mackenzie Highway pipeline construction and the highway construction which can reduce the cost.

Mr. Speaker, more importantly, we can start this work tomorrow by way of working on this project from the north, from the south, between the communities up and down the valley and making those connections where we’ve started with the bridge projects and now just start joining the points along the way.

Mr. Speaker, this will stimulate the economy of the Northwest Territories. Especially now with the downturn of what we’re seeing in the oil and gas industry, the mining industry, this is a perfect time for the Government of the Northwest Territories to get the message to Ottawa that this investment will only improve the economy of Canada and it will also benefit all Canadians. Mr. Speaker, there are opportunities by way of job training. People have been able to work within these construction camps and develop the infrastructure that’s going to be needed to construct future developments.

Mr. Speaker, earlier on in my Member’s statement I touched on what it costs to drill one well in the Mackenzie Valley. It’s $30 million to drill one well. In Alberta, somewhere in the range of $300,000. I think that’s the challenge that people that do invest in the North to develop the industry in regard to oil and gas and mining, the bottom line is what will it cost us.

I think with a highway it will reduce those costs, it will bring certainty by way of knowing what those costs actually are and, more importantly, deal with the economic challenges we’re facing in the North with the high costs of putting in winter roads, the high costs of maintaining ice crossings and the high costs in regard to opening up resource rich areas because of logistical challenges where we’re seeing more and more winter roads with shorter seasons.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important that we as government send the message loud and clear to Ottawa and ensure that we do make the investment, but also, more importantly, show that that investment has to be there for the well-being of all Northerners and Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that working together with the Mackenzie Aboriginal Corporation and this government should be jointly going to Ottawa rather than individually. I think that’s half the problem, is that we’re not speaking from the same page.

Mr. Speaker, today there are ways of building infrastructure in Canada and it’s called P3s. Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to see on our trip to Manitoba a couple of months ago in regard to checking out the hydro industry, an aboriginal company built a road 50 kilometres for $20 million. I was very much impressed with the workmanship of the aboriginal communities but, more importantly, that the provinces have basically bought on to allow these aboriginal corporations to build infrastructure in the different provinces.

I think that’s something that we have to do in the Northwest Territories by way of supporting that idea and finding ways to finance this project. Yes, it is a major capital expenditure, but I believe that if we extend it over 50 years or even 60 years, you are able to pay down this capital expense knowing that it will give you year-round access to communities and if the movement of goods and services and people.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important to realize that this will not only stimulate our communities, it will stimulate our other economies from tourism, in regard to oil and gas, our renewable and non-renewable sectors. I think that we do have to be able to make this capital investment now knowing that the time is right, the efforts are there, and with the Mackenzie Aboriginal Corporation and this government working jointly together lobbying Ottawa to move this project. If not, let’s find a way to finance it internally by other investors.

Like I mentioned, this is an aboriginal partnership from the Deh Cho to the Sahtu to the Gwich’in to the IRC regions, and I believe they are willing to find the capital that’s needed to build this. I think we do have to move on that, so I will be supporting the motion, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

The Speaker

Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Krutko . The honourable Member for Weledeh , Mr. Bromley .

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Motion 13-16(3): Mackenzie Valley Highway Carried

Motions

Bob Bromley

Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the critical need to connect our communities and I support the Mackenzie Highway as a possible solution, as I mentioned in my statement earlier. I’d like to pose these hard questions I suggested earlier and also basically to ensure that they are posed and to make sure that they’re fully addressed.

The first question I asked was are the reduced costs of living for communities newly connected by highway real? For example, if we look at milk costs in communities being reduced by perhaps 50 percent as a result of a highway, we need to recognize that a milk subsidy to bring community

prices in all of the NWT to those of Yellowknife is estimated at $1.3 million. We need to then contrast this to a $2 billion project with a $35 million annual maintenance fee. In other words, we can’t be robbing Peter to pay Paul. We can’t take one step forward and two steps back. We need to seek real reductions in costs. This question is meant to crystallize the economics of the project and make sure that we are making real reductions. What are real reductions?

To me I see them as local economic development that actually benefits local economies through employment of people and the skills they represent locally and using products locally and so on. How will this project ensure that that develops?

Secondly, what are the potential risks and benefits to social health such as increased addictions? I mentioned that some communities, a number of communities have expressed serious concerns about the potential for increased rates of addictions and the associated challenges there. We’ll need to be planning the dollars and strategies to be sure that they’re in place and that we know how to respond to these concerns.

Another question: Will the highway reduce greenhouse gas emissions? In here, the Northwest Territories is about double the average North American per capita emissions of greenhouses gases. We’re many times that of the world average. We have an obligation to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We know, of course, that our costs are escalating as a result of climate change, so the need is obvious there. We enjoy a very high standard of living compared to the rest of the world. Are we fully prepared to meet the challenges that this represents?

The challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in light of a project like this, in light of an additional 700 or 800 kilometres of highway and the likely increases in greenhouse gases that could entail without thinking and planning ahead of time to deal with them.

What sort of development will a highway enable in relation, again, to the needs of small communities that we’re talking about connecting here? About 2,600 to 3,600 people will be connected to communities by this project, to highways. What are the alternatives? The major motivation here is connecting our communities. I mentioned airships. Rail is something else that could be considered. Are there other options that will meet all of our objectives, including the real reductions in cost, improved connections of our communities and that’s useful to economic development?

Mr. Speaker, what will the real costs of the highway be? My impression of the current estimate of $1.8 billion is that it’s very preliminary and I don’t know whether it considers the challenges of climate change, the increasing challenges, and the almost

certain rapid rise in fuel costs that will be associated with an economic recovery. Maintenance, for sure, has a proven track record with a relatively modest amount of impact to the climate change we already have of being grossly underestimated on an annual basis. What will the impacts be when the real impacts of climate change start accruing within the next five years to a decade?

We must also recognize that there are different perspectives and concerns amongst communities about the Mackenzie Highway project, as evidenced last week at discussions of the Dene leadership meeting. I’m not saying here that there’s opposition to this project, but four leaders abstained in the vote for it and wanted to, I believe, wish to return to their communities to talk to their people about it and how to address the concerns that they might have. We need a responsible way of acknowledging that there are needs and concerns out there, to identifying those and to ensuring that they’re addressed and all legitimate concerns are taken care of.

A number of people have mentioned tourism and I would fully expect that the circle route, finally a true circle route, would increase the likelihood of tourism along our highways. This is potentially a positive thing. Of course, with it are the additional costs of servicing that industry in a very high-cost environment. What are economic benefits from tourism now relative to the costs? And let’s have some real analysis there.

My colleague Mr. Menicoche made reference to President Obama and what his approach would be. I think that would be an