Kenoayoak Pudlat Baffin South

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to express my concern in Sanikiluaq with regard to the road that takes the local people to the fishing spot. This road is not in very good condition; it has to be upgraded. It's the preferred road to be travelled, rather than going through the water they prefer to go through this road by three-wheel Honda or four-wheel Honda. I don't think it would be very much work to upgrade this road, and we would like to get support for upgrading this road. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Some Hon. Members

Nay, nay.

Some Hon. Members

Agreed, agreed.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue with his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Kakfwi.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to talk about communications today. In this modern era today, we enjoy using telephones and cordless phones, and you can talk to anybody in any place in this world today, Madam Speaker. However, there are some of my constituents who are still in the dark ages in communication. These are the smaller communities that I have talked about before in the House. I would like to say again that these people have been in need of better telecommunications in the small communities of Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake. They only have one telephone which is a pay phone and it is on the FM channel, so there is a public poster in the community that says if you use the telephone, don't talk about anything personal or medical because there might be someone in the community who has you tuned in and will listen to everything that goes on in your conversation. So even though they have a telephone, it isn't a very private way of communicating. So they have very limited use of the telephone and it is very inconvenient.

There are people in the communities who have requested to have phones in their own homes. However, that isn't possible with the technology that is available to them in the smaller communities. There are band and community offices, schools and teachers who require better communications. They don't have the convenience of faxes available to them either.

Just the other day, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment made an announcement about distance education that is available to people who have the technology. But this limits the people in these communities from not acquiring these services from the department. The communities, when they first got their telephone, modified it so they could use a cordless telephone. Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The people in the communities, when the telephone first came into their area, were able to modify it on their own, so they could use cordless phones in the band offices. Then they wouldn't have to stand by the pay phone when they made business calls for the band office. NorthwesTel personnel squashed their little bit of communication freedom by remodifying the telephone so that cordless phones could no longer be used. This was very inconvenient for them. So what happens is when their business call comes in to the band manager, they have to go to the pay phone and conduct their business standing by the pay phone. In a lot of cases, it is in the porch of their public building.

In this case, it is very inconvenient and requires some changes and help from the government. I have made statements in the House requesting the Minister responsible for Public Works and Services to do something about this. Two years ago, I was organizing a trip, for the MLAs affected, to go to Whitehorse and meet with the president of NorthwesTel. But I was told to hold off, until the Minister could do something with

it. I am still waiting. I think it is about time that something be done about this. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.