Good evening, and thank you for having me today.
I'd like to begin by acknowledging that I am joining you today from Ottawa, the traditional unceded territories of the Algonquin nation.
My name is Laura Tribe. I'm the executive director of OpenMedia, a community-based organization working to keep the Internet open, affordable and surveillance-free.
Eight weeks ago today, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. Today I'm here to focus on the one thing that's getting us through it all: the Internet. In a matter of just days, we saw the entire country shift online in a way we never thought possible. Workplaces instantly went remote, stores adopted e-commerce solutions, restaurants switched to delivery apps and schools pivoted to e-learning.
The Internet is holding our country together, it's keeping people employed, it's keeping families connected and it's allowing our democracy to continue to function, bringing me to you today from safe within my home.
Imagine the stress you would feel if your Internet connection went out right now. What if it were out for a week? What if it were out for a month? What if the government told you it would take another decade to fix? That is a reality for rural Canadians across this country. Unless you change course urgently, hundreds of thousands of Canadians could be left behind for the next decade. That's what I'm asking you to fix.
Here are some quick statistics on Canada's home Internet landscape. One in ten Canadians households does not have a home Internet connection. Only 41% of households in rural Canada have access to the CRTC's basic broadband speed targets of 50 megabytes per second download and 10 megabytes per second upload. On first nations reserves that's even lower, at 31%. That is not acceptable, and COVID-19 hasn't helped. Before the pandemic, those who didn't have home Internet access could use public libraries, schools or Tim Hortons Wi-Fi to help bridge the gap. That's no longer an option, and even for those who do have Internet, things aren't great. Over a third of Canadians are reporting slower speeds since COVID-19, according to a recent survey. This isn't good enough.
There is some good news, however. We've heard from your parties across the political spectrum that we need to address the digital divide. Minister Monsef has promised to speed up rural broadband rollout. Ms. Rempel Garner released a new plan to connect Canadians by 2021 instead of 2030. Mr. Masse has been calling for a national broadband strategy. Your parties represent the overwhelming majority of Canadians across this country, and they're saying that more needs to be done to get everyone online during COVID-19. The debate about whether or not to act is over. Clearly more needs to be done.
So now the question is this: What are you going to do about it? We need immediate short-term solutions and we need long-term systemic fixes. We have a long list of suggestions, but to start, here are the top three things that you, as parliamentarians, can do right now.
One is to mandate a basic Internet package to ensure that every single person in Canada has access to affordable high-speed Internet. Over 3.5 million people applied for CERB in the past two months, and Canadians already pay some of the highest prices in the world for Internet access. People should not have to choose between food, rent or connectivity.
Two is to release new funding to support shovel-ready infrastructure development projects, connecting underserved rural areas with high-speed 50-by-10 access during COVID-19. Where upgrade projects are ready, give them the money and get them off the ground. Ensure this money helps promote more choice for customers by prioritizing smaller independent service providers and network operators. An economic crisis is a scary time especially for small companies to tackle large infrastructure investments, but you can provide the financial backing to help make them happen and promote greater competition in the process.
Three is to provide a detailed plan with new funding to ensure universal connectivity much sooner than 2030. OpenMedia has been calling for a national broadband strategy since well before the CRTC declared the Internet a basic service in 2016. If I were an MP from a rural riding, I would be genuinely afraid to tell my constituents that they would have to wait until 2030. You have the power to speed this up. Please do it.
Fixing Canada's digital divide only takes two key ingredients, political will and money. You can make both of those happen. There's no going back to normal when this pandemic is over. Our world has been changed forever. Remote work is the new normal. E-learning is here stay. We wouldn't tell rural, remote and indigenous communities that they deserve second-class doctors, teachers or medicine, so why are we telling them to settle for second-class Internet?
When you leave this meeting today, I want you to imagine going back to a town hall in your community. What are you going to say to them? That you're doing every single thing you can to bring them the lifeline they need or that they'll just have to wait and see?
If there is one thing I want you to take away from today's meeting, it's this: The Internet is an essential service. It is your job to ensure that every single person in Canada has access. The country needs Internet heroes, and I hope you'll be one of them.
Thank you.