Trudeau tells Bains to boost broadband coverage

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has directed Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains to increase “high-speed broadband coverage and work to support competition, choice and availability of services,” according to a mandate letter released Friday. He also said Bains should “foster a strong investment environment for telecommunications services to keep Canada at the leading edge of the digital economy.” Bains was named innovation minister on Nov. 4, a position that effectively replaces the industry minister. The government has also renamed Industry Canada to reflect the change. There is no mention of mobile services or wireless spectrum in the mandate letter to Bains, which were major issues for his Conservative predecessors in the industry portfolio, most recently held by James Moore. The previous government held three major spectrum auctions in 2014 and 2015, as a result of which, it said, the amount of spectrum available for consumer mobile services increased by 60 per cent. A panel discussion at the Canadian ISP Summit earlier this week suggested the Trudeau government’s focus on infrastructure could include broadband, though the mandate letter to Amarjeet Sohi, minister of infrastructure and communities, did not mention anything about expanding broadband networks. The letter does direct Sohi to support “the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in a review of existing measures to protect Canadians and our critical infrastructure from cyber-threats.” The letter to Bains gave him that same mandate. The mandate letter to Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly said following through on the Liberals' campaign promise of restoring and increasing funding to CBC/Radio-Canada is one of her top priorities. The Liberal party promised to reverse $115 million in annual cuts imposed by the Conservative government by adding $150 million in funding each year. The letter to Joly did not specify these amounts, though it instructed her to undertake consultations with the public broadcaster and "the Canadian cultural community" before funding decisions are finalized. Joly is also mandated to review the process for appointing CBC board members "to ensure merit-based and independent appointments." Two different unions representing workers at the CBC have called for CEO Hubert Lacroix and the entire board — all of whom were appointed under the Conservative government — to be sacked by the new Liberal government. Joly's mandate letter also called on her to follow up on campaign promises to increase funding to the National Film Board, Telefilm Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. The letter to Joly made no mention of the CRTC, which reports to the heritage minister. Mandate letters from Trudeau to all the new ministers were made public Friday. A press release from the Prime Minister's Office said publicly releasing these messages represents an "unprecedented step ... as part of plan for open and transparent government for Canadians." CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said the Liberal party promised to reverse $115 million in annual cuts imposed by the Conservative government and add $150 million in new funding each year. — With reporting by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca and Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca and editing by Shruti Shekar at sshekar@thewirereport.ca

Trudeau tells Bains to boost broadband coverage

Broadcast | November 13, 2015

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Trudeau tells Bains to boost broadband coverage

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