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

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Motion is in order. To the motion? Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

To the motion?

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

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.

Jackie Jacobson

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. To the motion?

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

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.

Jackie Jacobson

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion?

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstention? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

The motion is in order. To the motion

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

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.

The Chair

The Chair Lesa Semmler

The motion is in order. To the motion?

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

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?