Marc Serré

[Rural Economic Development, May 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, broadband is important for the prosperity of our country. We are focusing on making sure that we connect all Canadians. We have approved 180 projects in 900 communities, plus 190 indigenous communities. By 2021, our investments will connect 90% of Canadian households with high-speed Internet. Budget 2019 will even go further, with $1.7 billion of investment to connect 95% of Canadians by 2026.

Where one lives in Canada should not limit one's ability to participate in the digital economy. Our government is taking real action. We have a plan and we are going to make it happen.

[Speech and Hearing Month, May 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, May is Speech and Hearing Month. It is important to recognize Canada's outstanding speech-language pathologists, audiologists and communication health assistants, who I was honoured to work with as regional director of the Canadian Hearing Society.

Speech-Language & Audiology Canada will be highlighting the importance of early detection and intervention of speech, language, swallowing, hearing and balance disorders. This builds on the early hearing detection report card released last month, which noted that Canada's overall grade still remained “insufficient”.

The ability to speak, to listen and to be heard is vital. Children's access to hearing care should not be determined by their personal circumstances. Professionals seek to ensure optimal communication health whether they are working with a hard-of-hearing child or adult or a family dealing with dementia.

I ask my colleagues to join me in observing Speech and Hearing Month in Canada.

[Rural Digital Infrastructure, May 3rd, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Pontiac for his work on Motion No. 208 and for all the work he has done in the community with respect to Internet services.

I rise in the House today to speak to the government's position on Motion No. 208. As members know, my riding of Nickel Belt is in rural northern Ontario, and I am Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development, so I have a direct and personal understanding of the needs of rural communities.

It is an honour to rise in the House today to speak about this issue that is really important to my constituents. They are already very familiar with high-speed Internet access in rural areas. Reliable access to digital infrastructure is essential not only for economic development but for a better quality of life for rural Canadians. That is why our government has already made significant investments to extend reliable, high-speed Internet and wireless services to rural communities across the country.

There is, however, still a lot of work to do. We know that local leaders are the ones who best understand their communities' needs.

That is why my hon. colleague, the newly appointed Minister of Rural Economic Development, has embarked upon a cross-country listening tour, after the Conservatives cut the rural secretariat in 2012. It is part of her mandate to develop an economic development strategy made for rural Canada through consultations with Canadians in all provinces and territories on how best to foster economic development in rural and remote communities through a whole-of-government approach. We are committed to sharing the strategy with Canadians by June 2019.

We have been meeting with community leaders from across Canada since last week to hear about their needs and priorities.

Engaging with our partners is a key step as our government works to put forward an economic development strategy that will reflect the needs and priorities of rural communities.

By working with our partners, the government will be able to help rural communities in Canada thrive for generations to come. This collaboration will also help create jobs and opportunities for all Canadians in rural communities.

Reliable and affordable access to digital services is one of the foundations of our government's strategy.

As members of the House know, rural Canadians need access to high-speed Internet wireless services to participate fully in the digital global economy. They need digital connectivity to attract talent, businesses and the investments needed to compete on the global stage.

According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, over five million Canadians, particularly in rural areas, still do not have access to Internet services that meet the the federal regulator's baseline service standards.

In order to address this problem, the CRTC set the following objective: all Canadians must have access to voice and broadband Internet service on both fixed and mobile wireless networks.

To meet this goal, the CRTC has established a $750-million fund to support the construction of telecommunications infrastructure in underserviced communities. This will ensure that Canadians living in rural and remote areas will have access to these services.

Our government is doing its part. We have undertaken a number of initiatives that underscore our commitment to meeting the CRTC's objective.

For example, as part of the connect to innovate program, we are investing $500 million to bring broadband Internet to 900 rural and remote communities. Our objective was 300 communities, but we have expanded this initiative to 900 communities, including 190 indigenous communities across Canada.

An additional 300,000 households in rural and remote communities are benefiting from high-speed broadband Internet access through the connecting Canadians program. An additional $2 billion is available through a funding stream dedicated to renewing infrastructure in rural and remote northern communities.

High-speed Internet is essential to help Canadians in rural regions grow their businesses, access services, acquire new skills and keep in touch with their family and friends across Canada.

That is why our government invested historic amounts in broadband infrastructure. Budget 2019 make ambitious new commitments to ensure that 95% of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026 and that 90% have access by 2021. What is more, to achieve the CRTC's objective, the budget seeks to ensure that every home and every business in Canada has high-speed Internet by 2030.

Budget 2019 provides for new support for northern communities, including support for rural tourism and skills training. It also provides for $1.7 billion in new funding to get every Canadian connected to high-speed Internet by 2030, regardless of where they live.

The budget lays out the creation of the new universal broadband fund of up to $1.7 billion over 13 years to build on the success of the connect to innovate program by extending backbone infrastructure in underserviced communities and securing the new low-latency low earth orbit satellite capacity to serve our most rural communities.

We will also work with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to identify ways to apply its innovative financing tools to stimulate private sector investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure in underserviced communities.

The introduction in the fall economic statement by the Minister of Finance of the accelerated investment incentive fund is allowing telecommunication companies to write off a larger share of the costs of new capital assets in the same year the investment is made, providing the benefit that they are expanding connectivity in rural Canada.

Thanks to these investments, our government is making sure that Canadians in rural areas have access to the health care services and education that all Canadians deserve.

These investments are giving rural Canadians opportunities to turn ideas into promises, goods and services and to expand their businesses. These investments are also enabling rural Canadians to start new businesses and grow them into globally competitive businesses without having to leave their rural communities.

Our government has made it clear that partnerships are crucial to succeeding in our work. We have to work together. That is why our government is doing this work hand in hand with provinces that want to partner with us and with territories, municipalities, indigenous peoples and the private sector.

My colleague's Motion No. 208 builds on the outstanding work that has already been done, which is why I am proud that our government supports this motion and has continued to work hard to address issues that matter to rural Canadians. I look forward to continuing to work with all members of this House on this very important issue to all rural Canadians.

[Telecommunications, May 3rd, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the hon. member.

Broadband is essential for helping rural Canadians grow their businesses and access services and new skills. Our government has made significant investment in broadband infrastructure. We will connect 90% of households by 2021. Also, in budget 2019, we are making ambitious new commitments to go further with high-speed Internet, connecting 95% of households by 2026.

Where a person lives in Canada should not limit participation in the digital economy. We have a real plan, and we are going to make it happen.

[International Day of Mourning, April 30th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, on April 28, I participated in the International Day of Mourning ceremony. It remembers workers who were killed, injured and suffered illness due to workplace-related hazards and incidents.

The International Day of Mourning began 35 years ago in Sudbury in co-operation with the Canadian Labour Congress and the United Steelworkers of Sudbury, local 6500, including the USW international president, Mr. Leo Girard.

To have workers return home to their families without suffering illness, injury or death should be a priority for all governments. Last year, 250 people died on the job in Ontario. Thousands of people were injured or contracted preventable illnesses. That is unacceptable.

All levels of government must work together to improve occupational health and safety.

One is too many. No one should die on the job.

[Telecommunications, April 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that Canada is a large country and that we need to ensure that our regions and remote areas have access to the Internet.

Many partnerships are required to accomplish that. It is very important that the regions work with the provinces, the federal government, the municipalities and the private sector in order to get Internet access.

This is why we recognized in budget 2019 that high-speed Internet is no longer a luxury. We need to make sure we work together to provide every single household and business in Canada with access to the Internet at 50 megabits per second download and 10 megabits per second upload speeds by 2030, regardless of where we live.

As indicated earlier, 90% of Canadians will be connected by 2021 and 95% of Canadians will be connected by 2026. We are going to work hard—

[Telecommunications, April 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my esteemed colleague for raising this important issue and for her work on behalf of rural regions.

Our government believes that the only way for Canada to succeed is to make sure that all of our communities are able to succeed, no matter where they are located. In order to meaningfully contribute to the success of our communities, our plan needs to be tailored to their needs and priorities. In particular, we recognize that our rural and remote communities have unique needs. That is why our plan includes $2 billion in funding to renew rural and northern infrastructure.

This funding will support investments aimed at improving roads in rural and northern communities. It will also support projects to reduce these communities' dependence on diesel for heating and electricity. Furthermore, this funding will support projects to expand high-speed Internet to many other rural and northern communities that do not currently have access to this service, which is a necessity in Canada.

Right now, less than half of our rural and northern communities have access to high-speed Internet. That is why, on January 14, 2019, the government appointed a Minister of Rural Economic Development. Her mandate letter gives her the responsibility of increasing the number of Canadians who have access to high-speed Internet and leading the development of a Canadian rural economic development strategy.

More recently, in budget 2019, our government committed to a national target. The member mentioned access to high-speed Internet by 2030, but to be precise, 90% of homes and businesses will have access to high-speed Internet by 2021.

By 2026, we will have 95% of households connected to high-speed Internet. As the member mentioned, in 2030, 100% of households and businesses will have access to the Internet, regardless of where they live or are located. That is a concrete plan.

To meet these targets, budget 2019 is proposing to provide $1.7 billion over that time to establish a new national Internet program called the universal broadband fund. This fund will include a top-up to the existing connect to innovate program. It will extend high-speed access to remote areas across the country by laying more fibre and by using signals beamed through low-earth-orbit satellites, which is necessary.

This technology will ensure that reliable Internet service reaches all Canadians. Furthermore, we will be adding $11 million for Statistics Canada to survey and measure households and businesses on the use of the Internet, because the best way to know where Canada needs to be is to understand where it stands.

The government cannot do this alone. This is why we are going to partner with municipalities, the private sector, the provinces, indigenous communities, public institutions and not-for-profit organizations.

Our government is investing in infrastructure so that all Canadians will have the opportunity to participate fully in the economy and share in our nation's prosperity. Extending Internet services to every Canadian, regardless of where they live, is a priority and a goal. We have a plan to achieve this, and we will work hard together to make it happen.

[Official Languages, April 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I disagree with my colleague.

We took the initiative to meet with several organizations and the provinces as part of our study on the modernization of the Official Languages Act.

In November 2018, the Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie wrote to her counterpart in the Ontario government to share her concerns regarding the announcements made by the Government of Ontario about the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner and Ontario's French-language university.

The Franco-Ontarian community will always be able to count on our government's unwavering support as a partner and in helping to ensure the vitality of the francophone communities in Ontario and across Canada.

I would ask my colleague to also look at and put more pressure on his counterparts in the NDP in Ontario to ensure that the Province of Ontario respects the rights of francophone communities in Ontario.

[Official Languages, April 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Drummond for his question and his work on francophone issues.

We were surprised by the announcement concerning the future of Ontario's French-language university. The vitality of official language communities across the country and the preservation of their language rights are a priority for our government.

Therefore, the Government of Canada is proud of its long-standing collaboration with provincial counterparts to provide better services to official language minority communities. That is why we have approved the renewal of all bilateral agreements on services in the minority language for the coming years.

Our government has renewed and strengthened agreements to encourage the provinces to provide services in the language of minority communities, through initiatives like education in the minority language, education infrastructure and access to provincial public services in the official language of one's choice.

ln 2018 alone, the provinces and territories received close to $149 million as part of bilateral education agreements, and approximately $13 million for complementary projects in education agreements.

ln terms of access to services, we have announced new investments to increase the offering of services in official language minority communities, including $22.5 million over five years to improve access to health services. We note that Ontario receives $1.4 million per year to provide French language services. This is the highest amount among the provinces.

Budget 2019 clearly shows that our government is prepared to invest additional funds in federal-provincial-territorial agreements as soon as a new protocol is signed. The accountability process must be improved, and the communities must be consulted regularly.

Our government is committed to supporting the provinces and territories in the provision of French language services. Our action plan for official languages, with its unprecedented $2.7-billion investment, is helping to strengthen minority language communities across the country.

Our official languages are at the core of who we are as a country. That is also why we are currently revising the Official Languages Act, on its 50th anniversary, to modernize it so it better serves the needs of Canadians. This is the first revision.

We hope that the Government of Ontario will follow our lead and take steps to strengthen the rights of francophone communities in the province.

[Canada Post, April 8th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, it is really important that both parties sit down to negotiate. Both parties have to look at elements in the collective agreement. As the member mentioned, this is something that needs to be negotiated. It needs to be outlined by both parties in order to support the workers.

The government did not want to resort to back-to-work legislation, but discussions with the union and workers were necessary.

Of course, the best outcome is one that is reached by both parties negotiating at the table. However, if it cannot happen, then the government has to intervene. Back-to-work legislation was a last resort after having exhausted every other option.

It is important to remain confident that the mediator and arbitrator will work on the issues mentioned, as well as other issues, so both parties can find a solution that results in a win-win situation. We will continue to monitor the situation closely as the days, weeks and months progress.