MR. SPEAKER: Further petitions?

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Labrador who are asking the government to do something with the gravel roads that exist in their region. In fact, Mr. Speaker, they are asking the government to take seriously the condition of the road, to address it, and to put a long-term strategy in place for the paving of that section. It reads:

WHEREAS the Trans-Labrador Highway is a vital transportation lifeline for the Labrador communities, providing access, generating economic activity, and allowing residents to obtain health care and other public services; and

WHEREAS Route 510 and connecting branch roads of the Trans-Labrador Highway are unpaved, in deplorable condition and are no longer suitable and safe for the traffic volumes that travel this route; and

WHEREAS Labrador cannot afford to wait years or decades for upgrading and paving of their essential transportation route; and

WHEREAS the petitioners ask the government to provide additional funding for the much-needed improvements to Route 510 and connecting branch roads of the Trans-Labrador Highway.

Mr. Speaker, this petition, I have been presenting it as they come into my office, as they are coming in from communities all over Labrador. At least from the areas from L’Anse au Clair right to Labrador City and Wabush. Mr. Speaker, what the people are asking is for government to invest in the gravel roads in the area and to bring them to a standard that can be useable because right now it is a huge concern.

Mr. Speaker, they are asking the government to deal with this issue. We are hoping we are going to see some monies in the Budget tomorrow, because we know this is one of the last gravel highway sections left in the Province. We know there are hundreds of kilometres of gravel road here. We realize there are thousands of people who travel over that highway every single day for all reasons, Mr. Speaker, and they deserve to have a good standard of road.

Today, Mr. Speaker, people are beating up their vehicles. Right now, as I speak, the road between Red Bay and Lodge Bay in particular is in a deplorable condition. There are nothing only ruts and potholes everywhere in this section of road. There are sections of road that extend right on up to Goose Bay where the road is really soft, where there are big trenches being made in the road from heavy vehicles and equipment going over it, and they are asking the government to address this.

People are putting their vehicles on the road in Labrador City and driving all the way to L’Anse au Clair over hundreds of kilometres of gravel road to get to a ferry that right now is broken down. Can you imagine how frustrating it is for the people who live in this Labrador region? It is no wonder they are bringing their petitions to the government and to the House of Assembly, because they are saying: Will you please come and see what we are enduring everyday? I invite members to do that. I invite the Minister of Transportation, I invite the other members from Labrador to put their vehicle on that road today, like I did only a week ago, and drive that particular section of highway and see the number of potholes, the number of trenches, the deplorable condition that it is in right now today. I invite them to come, Mr. Speaker, to drive that road and to see the condition that it is in.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

I remind the hon. member that her time for presenting the petition has expired.