Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry. I think a lot of the services that are provided can be performed online, but there certainly still are requirements about the document passing back and forth, that are still requiring the papers to be filed. We have worked out a system where you can drop something off in a drop box, but that certainly is far from being an online system. Again, that is sort of outside the scope of what I can speak to in terms of our budget right now. It's not in the budget, for what that is worth, but as far as having a conversation, again, that might be one of the post-COVID-19...

I know it's not popular, but I can't make that commitment right now. I can't make the commitment to hire students specifically. What I can say is that, again, there is the casual pool that I would certainly encourage the students to apply to. There are positions that need to get filled. There are tasks that need to get done, in large part arising from the needs of our COVID-19 response. While that's not exclusive to students, those positions are there, and we would certainly want the students to put their names into that casual pool, if available. At that point, the hiring process undergoes...

While again, Madam Chair, we don't have the specific breakdown, I will certainly get it. I think really what I am being asked is whether or not we are going to look at whether we need to charge the $4 fee. That is not something that I have had a chance to speak to the department about, but I can certainly commit to having a proper conversation with the department and getting back to the Member or to this House about that. Thanks.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry, if I could just clarify, it's the total revenue per year. Is that correct?

Madam Chair, I don't disagree with anything that the Member has said. It's just that I can't spend this money. I don't have the ability to spend this money, but obviously the more we say it out in this House about these ideas, the more possibility that one of the community organizations could work with the Department of Justice and put forward a plan to do exactly as the Member has suggested. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Yes, Madam Chair, I do.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe there are. I don't know them offhand. If I may, Madam Chair, if you could check with the deputy minister and see if she has that information available to her? If not, Madam Chair, then, we'll certainly commit to getting it to the Member.

All of the eight satellite communities, eight communities that are on satellite services, they are sadly stuck at 5 megabytes per second, as I understand, which is a slow speed. It is far below the standard that the federal government is seeking to bring all of Canada up to. There is going to be some significant work there to do. Again, though, we aren't a service-providing business; we are a government. That does change our ability and limit our ability to act as a service provider. That said, the Government of the Northwest Territories is very keenly focused on the national target and very...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Internet speeds in small communities right now are subject to a target that was set by the federal government of improving to a national rate of 50 and 10 or 50 megabytes per second. We certainly aren't there yet, but that is a federal commitment, and it is the role of the GNWT in this regard to act as an advocate and a supporter; an advocate with our federal partners and a supporter of our local service providers to ensure that they are taking steps to achieve that goal.

With respect to the federal government, Mr. Speaker, there are some important funding...

We are all struggling right now in the North. Even Yellowknife speeds are slower than what would be ideal. It makes it difficult in the time of COVID to be doing our work, to be in school, to be self-isolating when necessary. I am certainly alive to the challenges. As far as what is happening now, Mr. Speaker, I know that Northwestel, as a private industry partner, has been active and does have applications in to the CRTC. It's perhaps not really my role to speak to what they have on the go, but I would certainly offer to work with them to perhaps provide a briefing to committee of what...