Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during 1969 and 1970, the Registrar General of vital statistics initiated a naming project in order to eliminate disc numbers and disc lists which identified individuals of Inuit descent. The program was called, project surname. It entailed that each Inuit family would select a surname and be registered as such, for federal government purposes. Residents from the entire Arctic were named under this program. Since project surname was completed, there have been tens of thousands of new individuals born and registered in the Northwest Territories. Birth registrations have been done by missionaries, government bureaucrats, and by health care officials. Mr. Speaker, as individuals completing registration forms varied and changed, so did the spelling of people's names. This led to variations and inconsistencies in the spelling of names throughout the Arctic for various reasons. The primary reason for the misspelling of names, is the utilization of the letter "k" or "q" in names. The Baffin and Keewatin regions primarily utilized "q" in their spelling, while the western Arctic primarily uses "k." The Kitikmeot region is almost split. The Natilikmiot communities use "q," while the Kitikmeot communities use "k."
Mr. Speaker, in the NWT, the Change of Name Act is administered by the Supreme Court. This results in individuals wishing to change their name, or correct the spelling of their name, having to hire legal counsel and apply through the courts for name changes. In other Canadian jurisdictions, the majority of the change of name acts are administered by the Department of Vital Statistics, resulting in minimal costs. Newfoundland's Change of Name Act is administered by their Department of Justice, again, a minimal costs to individuals wishing to change names. PEI is the only other jurisdiction, besides ours, which requires individuals to utilize the court system for name changes. Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the legal profession, we all know that legal fees charged by lawyers are not inexpensive. In fact, the cost of their fees are often questioned by their clients, as they are more often than not perceived to be excessive. The majority of individuals in our communities do not have the access or the financial means to hire lawyers to carry out name changes or minor spelling corrections in their names. Mr. Speaker, I am pointing this out as I see the need for our government to enact the necessary changes to make it easier for individuals...