Madam Speaker, I am here today to present several petitions from my riding.
The first petition is with respect to cellular phone service in my riding. We have many areas that do not have access to cellular service.
The people who have signed these two petitions, with hundreds of signatures, are from Gold River, Alert Bay, Port McNeill, Port Alice, Courtenay, Hyde Creek, Quatsino, Victoria, Woss, Port Hardy and Sointula.
The petitioners ask the Minister of Rural Economic Development to acknowledge that this is an important public safety concern. It is very stressful for families and members who are driving to have to travel up to 30 minutes to reach a cellphone service area or landline to contact 911. Therefore, this is a major concern of public safety.