I think what you're seeing is a massive increase in data consumption. Canadians are among the highest data consumers in the world. Canadians consume almost twice as much data as German people and more than twice as much as Italians. That is reflective of the fact that wireless provides a tremendous amount of value in people's lives and allows them to manage their lifestyle logistics more efficiently and effectively. That constitutes significant value for Canadians.
I won't repeat the comment on low prices. I will just refer you to the studies done by Stats Canada, the Wall report done for ISED and what we're seeing from the OECD.
The other element that I think is missing is the cost of devices. This is a part of our service offering where we do not control the economics. At the end of the day, those economics are determined by the device manufacturers and represent a significant component of the cost factor for Canadian consumers.
Lastly, as it relates to profitability and the comment the member was making, I would say that's one of our core responsibilities, among others, to our stakeholders. It is key, because we recycle those profits into the construction of the world-leading broadband networks that Canadians significantly benefit from. We also recycle those profits into paying down the debt we incurred to build those broadband networks. Debt for the industry is up by 50%. Those profits return to Canadians in the form of taxes. Telus has paid over $57 billion in taxes and spectrum remittances during my tenure with the organization. As well, of course, those profits help subsidize “connecting for good” programs. Telus provides underserved Canadians with highly subsidized, low-cost programs that reach 1.1 million people in the country.
There's a symmetry, then, to profit that I think is important to understand.