Mr. Speaker, I stand before the House not only on behalf of the constituents of Pontiac, but also on behalf of all rural Canadians who want better cellphone and Internet coverage.

Since the advent of the Internet, rural Canadians have had less solid Internet connection than urban Canadians. The cellphone connection has been less strong for rural Canadians than for urban Canadians. High-speed fibre connections are less common, and wireless phone signals are weaker than in cities. We have to address this issue.

Telecommunications companies invest less in digital infrastructure in rural Canada for reasons related to geography, cost and population density. That has to change.

Although Internet service speeds and cellular services have improved in rural Canada, the problem remains that digital services and infrastructure in urban Canada have improved at a faster pace, which again puts rural communities at a relative disadvantage.

The flooding these past few weeks has taught us that good cell coverage and reliable high-speed Internet access are not only an important tool for economic development, but they are also crucial to ensuring public safety.

The response to the crisis caused by flooding in the Pontiac riding and throughout the Outaouais was possible largely thanks to telecommunications technologies. Whether a question of warning neighbours or getting up-to-date information about the flooding, areas looking for volunteers or sandbags and evacuation notices, many people in our communities were relying on social media and their cell phones.

Communities throughout the Pontiac have relied on telecommunications to organize their emergency response. Last night, I met with David Rochon, the mayor of Waltham, a community of 325 souls, give or take a few. It is an hour and a half from the nation's capital, and the cellphone coverage in Waltham is non-existent. People cannot manage an emergency flood without cellphone access. It is so difficult.

It is with the specific interest of offering additional protections to people living in the rural areas of Canada during disasters, during emergency weather situations, that I brought forward Motion No. 208 to the House of Commons in November 2018. The motion promotes the expansion of cellular coverage and reliable Internet access, which would help Canadians better deal with situations like the floods of 2017 and 2019. Last year, we had a tornado as well. In all of these circumstances, more reliable cellphone coverage would have helped us.

I am so grateful for the support for this motion that has been provided by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the rural caucus of the Union of Quebec Municipalities.

The purpose of Motion No. 208 is to ensure that, in future, Canadians living in rural regions are never again caught off guard in crisis situations, unable to contact anyone or call for help.

I was very pleased to see that as a result of the recommendations of the Liberal rural caucus and Motion No. 208, our Liberal government committed in budget 2019 to invest $5 billion over the next 10 years to improve digital infrastructure in the regions and connect all Canadians to high-speed Internet by 2030.

We have never before had a federal government willing to commit to that goal. We are going to get there: 100% rural Internet coverage.

A unanimous vote of the House of Commons would send a clear message to Canadians and telecommunications companies that the safety of our citizens and the vitality of our regions and small communities are important, non-partisan issues.

William Amos

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