I think all the survey data, and the data not only in Canada but everywhere else, would say that yes, they can't survive without it. One of the operators calls it “the licence from the public”. Don't worry about the licence from the regulator; if you don't have the licence from the public and the community that you're in, you're not going to be able to survive.
On June 16th, 2009. See this statement in context.