Connecting Rural Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted much of our lives online and transformed how we live, work, learn, and do business. Rural communities without access to broadband are worried about getting left behind.

Since 2015, we have invested more than $8 billion to accelerate the delivery of high-speed internet and wireless service across Canada. That is more funding committed to broadband investments than all previous federal governments, combined. We have partnered with provincial governments, municipalities, and telecom providers so that we can deliver for rural Canadians. Because of our investments, this year alone over 400,000 more Canadians will have access to high-speed internet.

But we know there are still rural and remote communities without access, and broadband projects waiting to be developed.

A re-elected Liberal government will:

  • Require those that have purchased the rights to build broadband actually do so. With this use it or lose it approach, Canada’s large national carriers will be required to accelerate the roll-out of wireless and high-speed internet in rural and northern Canada by progressively meeting broadband access milestones between now and 2025. If these milestones are not met, we will mandate the resale of spectrum rights and reallocate that capacity to smaller, regional providers.