Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Minister and officials.
Minister, I was a mayor and the president of the municipal association for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and a member of the board of directors of the FCM for four years. We often debated and called on the federal government for investments of this magnitude in infrastructure, and we didn't get a whole lot of support from the previous, Conservative government. The FCM put a major effort in and is delighted with the support it's received from our government since 2015.
Minister, access to high-speed Internet, particularly in rural Canada, is crucially important. It's really come to the fore during this COVID-19 period, which has forced people to work from home of course, and to do remote schooling, virtual medicine and a whole bunch of stuff.
The CIB has identified broadband as a priority investment area in terms of how it's going to help address this critical shortfall. I'd like you to comment on that for me, please.