November 5, 2014 – Toronto, Ontario – Industry Canada
Canadians live in an increasingly digital world where access to high-speed Internet means access to e-commerce, video streaming, employment and distance education. While high-speed Internet delivered on the latest wireless technologies is an important part of everyday life in urban centres, some Canadians in rural and northern regions of the country still do not have access to high-speed Internet.
Today, Mike Lake, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, spoke at the fourth annual Canadian ISP Summit in Toronto about the government's plan for the digital economy. The Harper Government's Connecting Canadians program will bring high-speed Internet access to an additional 280,000 homes in rural and remote regions of the country, helping ensure Canadians in all parts of the country have access to the opportunities of a modern digital age.
Through the Connecting Canadians program, the government is working with Internet service providers to extend and enhance service to areas in need across the country. Connecting Canadians provides incentives for the private sector to build and extend digital infrastructure in rural areas of the country.
For Canadians who live in communities with slow or no Internet, access to high-speed broadband will lead to new economic opportunities and the creation of new jobs, products and services.
Jake Enwright
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Industry
613-995-9001
Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502
media-relations@ic.gc.ca
