Frieda Martselos

Mr. Speaker, in addition to natural disaster emergencies, there's also a major concern about the lack of cellphone infrastructure on all NWT highways. Between Fort Smith and Hay River, there are no cell services. Between Behchoko and Yellowknife, there are no cellphone services. And in the last two weeks, there have been at least two trafficrelated fatalities near Enterprise and Behchoko. So if there were broader cellphone services across the NWT, there is a chance that those tragedies could have been prevented. Does the Minister agree? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister agree that increasing access to highspeed internet will overall help to advance economic reconciliation for Indigenous peoples and communities within the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, overall there's a lack of competition with internet service providers in the NWT. Does the Minister agree that having more options of internet services for the NWT residents will help reduce the household costs of internet and also bolster the speed of internet in the longterm? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today I'm going to speak about the state of internet connectivity in the NWT and lack thereof.

Mr. Speaker, two months ago the Auditor General of Canada released a report titled Connectivity in Rural and Remote Areas, which stated that rural and remote communities are still lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to internet. The report also stated that the NWT has the largest disparity of internet access in the country, with only 18 percent in small NWT communities that have access to highspeed internet. In comparison, 98 percent of people in larger NWT communities...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the 2023 Independent Auditor's Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada on Connectivity in Rural and Remote Areas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister tell us what NorthwesTel's master plan is for addressing some of these issues? Have they shared any plans with you or Cabinet and not with all of us? NorthwesTel and Bell need to start being accountable. Does the Minister agree? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, two days ago on May 23rd, I went to NorthwesTel which is owned by Bell in the Northwest Territories, to help a Hay River evacuee pay for their phone bill because it was going to be cut off. NorthwesTel told me they don't do Bell payments there even though they are owned by Bell. They told me I had to go to the bank. This is a very important issue, especially in light of the various natural disaster emergencies that the NWT has experienced in recent days and years. Does the Minister agree that this is not okay? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain what the Government of the Northwest Territories has done over the course of the 19th Assembly to address the issue of internet disparity between the small communities and regional centres within the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in April during the CRTC public hearings on telecommunication services in the far North, your deputy Minister of Finance testified. In his testimony, he stated that Indigenous households have an internet takeup of only 63 percent compared to 94 percent of other households.

Can the finance minister expand on that point and tell us where this statistic came from and what her thoughts are on those public hearings from CRTC? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the master plan and accountability issues of NorthwesTel must be shared with all Members of the Legislative Assembly, and it should include how they're going to lower their rates and create more choices. In this day and age, it is extremely important that the people of the NWT remain connected with the rest of the world via modern technology with the internet and phone services. Does the Minister agree with that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.