By: Melanie Pilon

In June 2024, the Canadian Telecommunications Association (CTA) released a report titled Driving Canada’s productivity: The impact of the telecom sector and its role in improving productivity.

The report clearly summarizes how the telecom sector is an important contributor to the Canadian economy, specifically citing unique challenges such as population dispersion, geographical, and climate factors, and the structure of the changing labour market. A final recommendation on how to overcome these challenges leaned heavily on updating regulatory frameworks to encourage investment. However, it falls short of examining the benefits of Indigenous inclusion in telecom. 

Ninety-three-point-five per cent (93.5%) of Canadians have access to high-speed internet, according to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). The remaining 6.5 per cent of Canadians waiting to be connected are mainly located in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities and are located in close proximity to First Nation reserves with supporting infrastructure, including long haul transport networks traversing the traditional territory of Indigenous nations.

The Office of the Auditor General reported that in 2021, “90.9 per cent of households had access to minimum connection speeds across Canada but only 42.9 per cent of households on First Nations reserves had access at those speeds and only 59.5 per cent of households in rural and remote areas had access at those speeds.”

In response, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently announced important improvements to the Broadband Fund specifically meant to advance reconciliation and support Indigenous communities. However, even with these additional supports in place, it is critical to understand how adopting a reconciliatory approach on an organizational and human level can mutually benefit both the telecommunications sector and Indigenous nations. 

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– CRTC announces changes to Broadband Fund 

As the Canadian workforce continues to age and traditional participants prepare to exit the labour market, the Indigenous population is poised to fill this gap. Indigenous populations, both urban and remote, continue to grow and are much younger in comparison to the non-Indigenous population, making targeted education and training programs in the technology and the telecommunications sector the perfect match. The shift towards remote and hybrid work arrangements and improved connectivity in remote areas will continue to support this notion, however, the onus rests with industry to recognize the opportunity and make the first step. 

While a long-term investment in workforce development programming, including apprenticeships, internships, and work-integrated learning, may not be the key to solving all challenges cited in the 2024 CTA report, there is an irrefutable link between increased productivity and workforce development. Benefits of adopting a reconciliatory approach to workforce development throughout the lifecycle of a network projects, include: 

– Hiring local resources reduces the “windshield time” incurred by trucking in labour from urban centres, and reduce labour, accommodation, and travel expenses. It will also result in less down-time during network outages as local resources can be deployed quicker when maintenance issues arise. 

– Engaging local resources who have lived on the land since time immemorial who have an intimate knowledge of the terrain is becoming increasingly important as internet services providers (ISPs) struggle with climate related disasters. 

– By developing training programs and joint-venture agreements with local Indigenous-owned businesses, ISPs can work to achieve economies of scale by partnering with other utilities, especially those with an established Indigenous ownership stake, i.e. the Waasigan Transmission Line Project – a 50/50 partnership with Hydro One and nine First Nation partners who are supporting growth in northwestern Ontario.  

In the era of truth and reconciliation, it is critical that the telecom sector familiarize and adopt wholeheartedly the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Call to Action #92, specifically but not limited to, “…ensuring that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector…”

Developing authentic relationships and committing to meaningful consultation, — including obtaining free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous peoples prior to proceeding with a proposed development — will play a foundational role in the impact of the telecom sector and its role in improving productivity. 

“Education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it”
– The late Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair

Melanie Pilon is the principal and founder of Melanie Pilon Strategies Inc. With more than 10 years of senior work experience in economic development, telecommunications, and Indigenous affairs, she is also currently the Mayor of the Municipality of Wawa, Ont. A proud Anishinaabe Kwe, she is a member of the Wiikwemkong Unceded Territory.

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