Thank you, Mr. Serré.
I'll be honest. Rural Canada never fully recovered from the 2008 recession, and women with children never recovered.
It's wonderful to have you back on this committee, as well.
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, connections are vital to our ability not only to respond to COVID, but also to recover from it. Connections can mean conversations like this. How vital has it been for us as professionals to be able to stay connected to our colleagues, to our work? That high-speed Internet access has been a lifeline.
Parents are providing double and triple duty. Caring for their kids, particularly with online learning, and staying connected with their parents in long-term care homes are vital connections. Yet, about two-thirds of indigenous communities don't have this access. About 60% of rural communities don't have access, and about 2% of folks living in urban ridings, urban communities don't have high-speed access.
We responded to Canadians with a plan that they asked for. The plan is the single largest investment in connectivity. It includes a rapid response stream for connections that can be improved over the next year. It includes investments in cell service as well as fibre. It includes transparency.
It includes a partnership with Stats Canada to ensure that we are following the progress of this investment. Of course, it also includes a concierge service. It's a one-stop shop for rural communities that don't have the capacity to navigate this complex ecosystem on their own. They can pick up the phone and reach out to smart engineers and project managers on the other end of the line who can help them navigate the process to get connected, so Canada's recovery can be complete.