While I'm very interested in the answers being given by the other witnesses here, I think it's important to recognize that more than six million Canadians are living with a disability and more than one and a half million Canadians are blind or partially sighted.
This isn't just about connectivity in rural and remote areas, which is highly critical. There are as many people living with disabilities proportionately in rural communities as in urban communities. It is about right to access. We are solving issues of inclusion using technology today and then taking it away from people, as opposed to allowing them to have proper access to it.
I think we need to address all of the issues for students from grade 7 to 12 in Alberta who have been sent home who have a disability and who live with high levels of poverty and whose parents are trying to support their education at home. It's not just connecting people in rural and remote areas. It is a complex issue. I want to make sure that the voice of those with disabilities stays loud and prominent when you are having the debate about access, because they are not a subset of the community; they are a large portion of our communities.