Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week Members of this Assembly referred to the upcoming CRTC hearings on high cost serving areas, which will take place in Iqaluit on June 25th. I hope I can clear up any confusion about this hearing. For a long time, NorthwesTel has a monopoly on all phone services in the north. The CRTC allowed this position because of the extremely high cost of providing quality service to remote locations with few residents. Times change. The CRTC recently approved the introduction of competition for long distance services in the north. There is still some concern, however, about full and affordable access to telephone services in all communities.
Mr. Speaker, in the NWT, it costs about twice as much to provide basic services as it does in other parts of Canada. Without long-distance revenues, those higher costs would have to be reflected in higher local access rates. As we move closer to full competition for all telecommunications services, including local service, there is a danger that the quality of service to remote communities will decline because of the high cost of maintaining that service. Yet, it is the remoteness of our communities that makes good telecommunications critically important. The CRTC has recognized the problem and is currently holding regional hearings to consider whether a fund should be established. This fund would not subsidize NorthwesTel and other phone companies. The fund would, in fact, assist those who live in remote areas so that high-cost telecommunications services will be affordable.
As I mentioned, the CRTC will hold a regional hearing in Iqaluit on June 25th. There will be a video hook-up to the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife and telephone hook-ups to Arctic Islands Lodge in Cambridge Bay, the Ptarmigan Inn in Hay River, the Mackenzie Hotel in Inuvik and the Siniktarvik Hotel in Rankin Inlet.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the House that the Deputy Premier, the Honourable Goo Arlooktoo, will represent the government at the Iqaluit hearing. I will be providing each Member of the Legislative Assembly with a copy of the government's preliminary submission to the CRTC, and I encourage them to share it with constituents who are interested in these issues. It is extremely important that northerners speak up at these hearings to indicate:
- the importance of telecommunications to life and business in the north,
- the high cost of phone services on top of an already high cost of living, and
- the north lacks services that are available in other parts of Canada.
I hope that there will be active participation in this hearing and I encourage all of you to take part. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause