Thank you. Motion is in order. To the motion? Member for Yellowknife North.
Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021
This is page numbers 3291 - 3324 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.
Topics
Committee Motion 169-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Wholesale High-Speed Third-Party Internet Access, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Committee Motion 169-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Wholesale High-Speed Third-Party Internet Access, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to reiterate a point that I think is made in the last three motions here, is that we pay Northwestel about $10 million a year right now. We co-own a $100 million fibre line with them. The CRTC and the federal government gives them hundreds of millions of dollars in public money every single year and yet, consistently, we do not advocate or hold them accountable to allow competition in the market. I understand that they are largely, the only regulated internet service monopoly in Canada, and there's some fighting that has to happen at the CRTC that does that. But to date, we have built publicly-funded infrastructure and then not allowed third party competition on it. We have failed to get the last mile to home in a lot of communities, and I think the way to do that is leverage our position of giving Northwestel millions of dollars every single year to get some things out of them, and I just haven't been seeing that to date. So I hope that the Minister takes these recommendations seriously. I know there's some ongoing projects in cooperation with Northwestel, but, really, we have to make sure that when taxpayer money is used to build internet infrastructure, that wholesale high-speed third party access is allowed so some competition can maybe emerge in this monopoly. Thank you.
Committee Motion 169-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Wholesale High-Speed Third-Party Internet Access, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Committee Motion 169-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Wholesale High-Speed Third-Party Internet Access, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 169-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Wholesale High-Speed Third-Party Internet Access, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Jacobson.
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Jackie Jacobson Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories address digital divide within the Northwest Territories by providing free access to basic internet packages through income assistance funding through the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation for public units, recommendation. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North
Thank you, Madam Chair. This is another one that in almost every other jurisdiction, the federal government has created a low income internet service which allows subsidized internet. Northwestel's parent company, Bell, has offered that in many jurisdictions. Northwestel has refused to do that here, once again because they're this weird federally-regulated monopoly. But I really do believe that there's a way to leverage the $10 million a year we give them to say, hey, we want to do what your parent company has agreed to do in other jurisdictions and make an internet rate for people who have lower incomes. And I also think there's a way to probably leverage some of that through public housing. Lots of public housing in other jurisdictions now has bear minimum low bandwidth free Wi-Fi built into the buildings. Northwestel, I think, could probably offer that service. It's probably even a win for them. Their parent company has started doing it in places. So once again, I think this is really about meeting with Northwestel and leveraging the millions and millions of dollars we give them every year. Thank you.
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3304
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Katrina Nokleby Great Slave
Thank you, Madam Chair. I agree with my colleague. I think this is one of the low hanging fruit that we often hear the government talk about. As we, again, had gone through the pandemic, we've realized how much of our stuff needs to be accessible virtually, and a lot of the low income people IN my constituents have told me that they are not able to download forms or get online and do the housing or the, you know, health requests and things that they need to do, and that's a lot of work that we as MLAs end up picking up to help them navigate the system. So I think this is a win-win, that in the long run would actually end up saving the government money and would allow MLAs to focus on other areas of our work than trying to just be pathfinders through the system. So I really want to throw my support behind this motion as well. Thank you.
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 170-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2):Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Access to Basic Internet Packages, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
The Chair Lesa Semmler
The question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Nunakput.
Committee Motion 171-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Wi-Fi Service in Regional Centres, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Jackie Jacobson Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories address the digital divide building partnerships that provide free Wi-Fi services in all regional centres. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 171-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Wi-Fi Service in Regional Centres, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Committee Motion 171-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Wi-Fi Service in Regional Centres, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 171-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Free Wi-Fi Service in Regional Centres, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstention? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Nunakput.
Committee Motion 172-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment - Report on Telecommunications - Procurement of Internet Services, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Jackie Jacobson Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories procure internet services in smaller pieces so that local internet service providers can effectively bid on these opportunities. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 172-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment - Report on Telecommunications - Procurement of Internet Services, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Committee Motion 172-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment - Report on Telecommunications - Procurement of Internet Services, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 172-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2): Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment - Report on Telecommunications - Procurement of Internet Services, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Member for Nunakput.
Committee Motion 173-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2) Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Jackie Jacobson Nunakput
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report within 120 days. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee Motion 173-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2) Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Committee Motion 173-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2) Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 173-19(2): Committee Report 22-19(2) Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment Report on Telecommunications - Government Response to Recommendations, Carried
Consideration Of Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 3305
The Chair Lesa Semmler
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstention? The motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, committee. Do you agree that you have concluded consideration of Report 22-19(2), Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment, Report on Telecommunications?