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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Premier Floyd Roland has pitched the idea of a $1-billion, 10-year infrastructure cost-sharing agreement to the federal government.

Roland raised the idea with Prime Minister Stephen Harper during his visit to Inuvik on Aug. 28.

However, MLAs only learned of the proposal on Sept. 29 after the premier forwarded them a letter from Harper about the Inuvik meeting.

That resulted in accusations of secrecy against Roland in the legislative assembly on Oct. 6.

Roland told MLAs that a cost-sharing agreement could be used to fund a Mackenzie Valley highway linking the Beaufort Delta with the rest of the territory.

Harper's letter to Roland offers assurances that the federal government remains committed to ultimately reaching a devolution agreement, and also addresses the infrastructure proposal, called Building the Northwest Territories, Strengthening Canada.

"Ongoing discussions between our officials should continue in order to ensure a better understanding of the proposal," Harper wrote.

The "framework," as Roland calls it, drew questions on why MLAs and aboriginal governments were not informed about it a month after he met Harper. There were also questions about how the GNWT would fund its share considering warnings that a tax hike may be needed to cover a $40-million budget shortfall.

"He says he's just trying to engage some discussion with the federal government, but we don't know any details," said Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy.

"I want to know how it's going to impact us," he added. "We don't know any of that."

Some MLAs were irked because they were in Inuvik attending a health and wellness camp when the premier met with Harper.

Roland admitted he should have informed MLAs sooner about the proposed deal, but he insisted he didn't have an opportunity to meet with them at the time.

The premier said the proposal came about after it was decided to put efforts to reach a devolution and resource revenue agreement "on the back burner" when it became clear the GNWT wasn't going to get what it wanted from Ottawa.

"Members know that I've talked to (Harper) a number of times, trying to get a deal with the federal government on, for example, the Mackenzie Valley highway," said Roland. "So putting those together, looking at an infrastructure plan, it's a framework that's been put out there, floated out there, and we're working on trying to keep that door open."

Roland said that, if successfully concluded, the infrastructure agreement would likely be a public-private partnership similar to the Deh Cho bridge project.

Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington thinks the infrastructure fund idea is worth considering.

"I think it's got merit," Bevington said.

"It's in the best interest of everybody concerned in the North to get working on infrastructure," he added.

The MP said such a fund would be separate from formula funding now provided by Ottawa.

Along with roads, said Bevington, money needs to be invested in infrastructure such as airstrips, water and sewer, and sidewalks.

"As a member of Parliament, I'll follow the lead of the leadership in the Northwest Territories - the premier, the legislative assembly and aboriginal governments - in the direction they want to take on infrastructure development," said Bevington.

As for how far $1 billion would go towards building a Mackenzie Valley highway, Bevington said such a project would be built in stages.

The priority stages would be from Wrigley to Norman Wells and from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk, he said, although he said work also needs to be done on the Dempster Highway and the highway to Fort Liard.

"Those infrastructures are crumbling," he said.

Bevington was scheduled to meet with Roland in Yellowknife today. Roland's infrastructure fund idea is one of the topics that was to be discussed.