Merci, Monsieur le President. [Translation] insert* [Translation Ends].

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year we learned that over 750 known health information breaches have been recorded in our territory over the past decade. That is a staggering figure for a population of our size. An average of 77 breaches a year in a territory of only 45,000 residents were roughly one breach for every 58 Northerners over that period.

While it is true that in this day and age there are only more and more seeking to exploit our personal data for whatever reason, including the companies that run our social media accounts, the scale of these breaches is neither normal nor inevitable. It reflects a systemic failure that too often exposes Northerners to privacy violations and unnecessary risk.

A recent CBC article dated March 18th highlights the real world impact of these statistics. It profiles a Range Lake constituent who feels he has lost confidence in health and social services after learning his personal health information had been accessed without authorization from someone within the department. He was not notified for well over a year after his information was accessed, and the letter he received was scant on details. He simply wants to know who was accessing his records, what was viewed, and why notification took so long and what consequences followed. Yet to date those questions remain unanswered. Even after reaching out to the department, his MLA, and the Minister, he was told the names of employees are not disclosed in breach notifications in order to protect the privacy of who committed the breach and comply with the principle that only minimum information be shared.

Mr. Speaker, our system of information protection should be supporting the victims of these breaches, not the people who are doing them. We need to put an end to snooping, and I will have questions for the Minister later today.