Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Hello, colleagues. Boozhoo. Aaniin. As-salaam alaikum. I join you from Algonquin territory. I hope that you're all doing okay, that your teams are okay and that your loved ones are safe.
Madam Chair, if it's okay with you, I'll spend the time I have in my introductory remarks talking about three things. First, I want to talk about my BlackBerry Pearl and tell you the story of my red BlackBerry Pearl. Second, I'd like to pick up on where Minister Ng reflected on connections and connectivity. Third, I want to talk about how the universal broadband fund can not only respond to COVID but also create the foundation for a resilient economy in the post-pandemic world.
I've been working since I was 12, so I was the first in my peer group to have a cellphone. I had a variety of flip phones until the smart phone phenomenon began. I remember that in 2008 I was able to afford my very first smart phone—the red BlackBerry Pearl. It was beautiful, with the shiny knob in the middle, with access to high-speed Internet, or so I thought at the time. I could connect to my homework, my work, my family and my friends while spending long hours on Peterborough public transit.
It allowed me, for the first time ever, to become more productive in a way that I couldn't have imagined. It allowed me to connect with networks that I would not otherwise have had access to. It allowed me mobility, so that transportation didn't impede my ability to make a difference. It also allowed me to look for other opportunities. I was raised by a single mom, so not only was I proud that I could afford this on my own, but I was really proud that I could get ahead and make a difference in my community through the networks that this little device afforded me.
There are millions of Canadians right now in some of the most remote and rural regions, including indigenous Canadians. I have spoken with them. They're not able to tap into their full potential and access the opportunities that exist for them, because they don't have access to high-speed Internet and they don't have access to cell service.
Those connections are vital. Those connections have never been more important. Those connections have been the strength of our response to COVID. Those connections are what's going to keep our country united, and those connections are going to help us build back better on the other side of COVID.
The universal broadband fund is the second part of our government's plan to connect every Canadian to this essential service. It has been developed by Canadians for Canadians. Many thanks to every single one of our colleagues—in all parties, by the way—who have helped to shape this plan so that it's responsive to the needs on the ground, and particularly to my brilliant parliamentary secretary, Gudie Hutchings, who is a force of nature and a force for good.
The universal broadband fund includes $50 million set aside to address cell gaps, particularly in indigenous communities. It includes a rapid response stream worth $150 million, so, colleagues, if you have projects in your communities that can address issues of lack of connectivity to 50/10 in the near future, let's talk, because we should be working with you to connect your communities.
It also includes the core broadband fund. This is for fibre projects and for longer-term projects, and of course there is the partnership with the Canada Infrastructure Bank, an agency of the Crown, an arm's-length organization that will help invest in and support larger, higher-impact projects.
This is the plan that Canadians asked for. It is a plan that they have been waiting decades for. This is the single largest investment that the Government of Canada has ever made in connectivity, and we're doing it because it's the right thing to do. We're doing it because it will improve health and safety, it will address economic gaps and it will also even the playing field. We want to make sure that this big, beautiful country is connected and united, because every time Canadians have been able to stay connected and united, we've been able to achieve big things.
I thank you, Madam Chair and colleagues, for giving me a space on your committee. I know you're doing really important work and time is precious, but I'm very much looking forward to spending a little bit of time with you today to see how we can work together to connect every Canadian to this essential service.
Thank you.