Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to ask Mr. Premier some questions that have been arising in the media lately about the application process for social insurance numbers, and it was raised in the Nunavut Legislature just recently as well. Apparently they had made a change that you can only apply in person at service centre offices. This would make a big impact on my constituency where we have only one service office in Fort Simpson.
I’d like to ask the Premier if he’s aware of this communication from the federal government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe I read the same media release/media reporting that the Member is quoting from. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’m glad to see the Premier is well read. I guess the issue is that they have to apply in person. Can the Premier contact our federal counterparts and say this will have an impact in the Northwest Territories, especially for our fly-in communities, of which I have about two, and in the Nahendeh riding where we only have one public service office there? Thank you.
I will do that. This federal government is very responsive and I’m sure they will address this concern on a timely basis, but I will communicate that concern to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The old application process was easy. Everybody could just grab an application and mail it in, and that sufficed for us here in the North. That’s the issue, because it’s very expensive to travel to Fort Simpson from my outlying communities, so if you could convey that as well. Thank you.
I will convey that to them. With the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link that will connect all of the communities through the Internet.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Yakeleya.
