NDP’s platform includes millions for rural broadband

The New Democratic Party released its costed platform for next week’s election over the weekend, in which it detailed spending on rural broadband and funding for CBC/Radio-Canada after it promised to declare high speed internet to be an essential service. The NDP has been campaigning on cell phone and internet bill caps and high speed internet availability since the election was called and the party’s costed platform released Saturday indicates it would spend $150 million per year from 2021-2022 through to 2025-2026 on rural broadband if elected, for a total of $750 million. While the new platform costing does not break down specifically where that money would go, the NDP has mentioned plans such as taking the first steps necessary to create a Crown corporation “to ensure the delivery of quality, affordable telecom service to every community,” and introducing a “Telecom Consumers’ Bill of Rights” to “put an end to the gouging for good.” Also in the NDP’s costed platform is $400 million in spending over four years beginning in 2022 for CBC/Radio-Canada, which it said in its original platform would see an increase in funding “to help reverse the damage of decades of funding cuts under both Liberal and Conservative governments.” During a press conference on the costed platform Saturday, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would invest in more CRA enforcement to make sure large companies “are paying their fair share” as it looks to increase the corporate income tax rate by three per cent. The costed platform anticipates a total of $166.3 billion in new revenue all the way through to the 2025-2026 fiscal year and spending of $214.5 billion in that same time. Singh said money for spending is “going to be on the backs of the wealthiest corporations that make incredible profits that hide that profit and put it in the offshore tax haven. Mr. Trudeau has known about that for six years, hasn’t prosecuted a single case of tax evasion. We think that’s wrong.” The party additionally highlights a plan worth $26 billion to fight climate change and support workers transitioning to greener jobs. The costed platform states this is in addition to converting the $35 billion Canada Infrastructure Bank into a Climate Bank with a mandate to boost investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon technology. Two billion dollars in the infrastructure bank is earmarked for rural broadband, which remains a highlight of the NDP’s platform alongside affordability. The Conservatives have similarly promised rural connections, saying they could make it possible for every Canadian to connect to high speed internet by 2025 while the Liberals have said they would like to meet unspecified broadband access milestones in that same period. Both the Liberals and Conservatives have said they would utilize a “use it or lose it” approach for spectrum in order to encourage action on work connecting rural and remote communities to better internet connections. During a press conference Thursday after the English-language leaders’ debate, Green Party Leader Annamie Paul the party is also committed to lowering bills and connecting all Canadians. -- Reporting by Hannah Daley at hdaley@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca

NDP’s platform includes millions for rural broadband

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NDP’s platform includes millions for rural broadband

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