Thank you, Mr. Speaker, the CRTC recently ruled that NorthwesTel must develop a plan to allow other long distance carriers to the come to the north. Unlike most places in Canada, we only have one phone company in the north and that is NorthwesTel. This should be good news. People in the north are often separated from family and friends by long distances. We cannot drive to the next town. Unfortunately, it is very expensive to use long distance telephone calls to keep in touch. As an MLA, I am very aware of this. I use the phone a lot to talk to my communities and my bills are very high.

I hope this decision by the CRTC will help northerners reduce long distance phone rates. Some other companies may want to come north to compete with NorthwesTel. Even if they do not, there will always be the possibility of competition. This will ensure that NorthwesTel is always trying to provide the best service at the lowest price. Mr. Speaker, we will have to wait and see how the decision will affect local telephone costs. However, for those of us who use long distance calling a lot or who would like to, this is good news. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.