Yes, absolutely, Ms. Gainey. Thank you for that question.
In regions like the Lower North Shore, or even the North Shore, Internet access is spotty at best, or non-existent. We're talking about places where, in the summertime, you cannot get from one place to another by road. There is no road that connects these people together. We're talking about communities that are completely disconnected from everything, including reliable access to Internet.
CBC is the only source. I'm surprised and shocked by that data. I'm saddened. I saw it disappear in our community. We no longer get the Gazette or any other English print media that used to come into the region. As I mentioned earlier, the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph is the only print media that we have access to in Quebec City. In regions across the province, I think there's The Spec on the Gaspésie coast and there's a local newspaper in the Estrie region, but otherwise, in terms of English media, we're talking about CBC Radio One. Years ago, we had Global, which had a spot in Quebec City, but that disappeared a long time ago.
It's critical that we have sources that are close to the ground. When I say “boots on the ground”, I'm talking about local communities. There's an English-language minority in every administrative region across this fine province, and these people need that local news to be able to carry out their civic duty, to be informed on important challenges and issues that are taking place close to their home and to be able to have an opinion and exercise their democratic rights.
CBC is part of the fabric that makes up our communities. Yes, we're small in numbers and we may not have the critical mass to have our own local private media, but that's why CBC is so important. I need to remind everyone that the survival of our community depends on that fact. Section 42 of the Official Languages Act says that CBC has a mandate to protect that information, and they have a responsibility to French and English communities across Canada.