Feds ‘on track’ to connect every household to high-speed internet by 2030, as critics point to gaps in rural and Northern Canada

In 2026, 98.8 per cent of Canadian homes are expected to have access to high-speed broadband, surpassing the Liberal government’s goal of 95 per cent set in 2019. But only 16.7 per cent of Nunavut homes are projected to meet that mark next year. NDP MP Gord Johns may love connecting with his constituents, but, oddly enough, a lack of connectivity remains one of his riding’s most pressing issues. “I got an email from a woman who said her husband had a heart attack and, while he was under cardiac arrest, he had to drive to a gas station because he couldn’t access the internet,” Johns (Courtenay–Alberni, B.C.) told The Hill Times in an interview. “These are the kind of stories I get all the time.” Fortunately, the man survived his episode and is now recovering, but Johns, also the NDP’s critic for rural affairs, said people in his riding depend on high-speed internet to access health care, education, and participate in the economy. The four-term MP said significant progress has been made since the federal government promised to connect every Canadian household to broadband by 2030, but many residents in rural and northern communities are still left in the dark. In fact, Johns often has to inform his office team when he will be travelling throughout his Vancouver Island riding, as he’ll likely be unreachable for large parts of the day. “This isn’t about it being a luxury,” he continued. “It’s essential infrastructure, just like roads, clean water, and power.” When Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government first introduced a strategy to bring high-speed internet to every Canadian home in 2019, fewer than 90 per cent of households had broadband access. The plan, titled High-Speed Access for All: Canada’s Connectivity Strategy, was backed by a $1.7-billion funding envelope and outlined a specific timeline for reaching 100 per cent, including a national interim target of 95 per cent for 2026. As Canadians turned over the calendar, government data, shows 96.3 per cent of households had high-speed internet access as of 2023, with 98.5 percent projected for 2025, suggesting the country remains “on track” to eliminate the digital divide by the end of the decade. It should be noted that the government’s definition of high-speed internet consists of 50/10 megabits per second (Mbps), meaning download and upload speeds of 50 and 10 Mbps, respectively. This standard allows multiple users to simultaneously stream online content or use videoconferencing software, and it’s also the minimum speed recommended by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). “Obviously, this is a centrepiece of what is necessary in rural Canada,” said Liberal MP Buckley Belanger (Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River, Sask.), the government’s secretary of state for rural development. “There’s been a heavy commitment afforded to that connective piece for all of Canada … and we’re making great progress.” Northern exposure? According to Industry, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED), more than 85 per cent of households are connected to high-speed internet in 12 of the 13 provinces and territories, with the exception of Nunavut, where zero per cent of homes have high-speed broadband access. “As we live and work in Northern Canada … it remains a very important part of our country,” continued Belanger, whose hometown of Île-à-la-Crosse in northern Saskatchewan only received widespread internet access within the last decade. “As it pertains to Nunavut … the fibre option, where a fibre line is connected directly to your home, is still the best option, but there’s also LEO (low Earth orbit),” he said, “which could also offer significant advantages." LEO connectivity refers to satellite projects, like Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s (SpaceX) Starlink or the Canadian company Telesat Corp., that have become increasingly popular around the world for providing internet access to more remote locations. Nunavut is expected to see increased connectivity over the next couple of years, tied to the the federal government’s $600-million partnership with the Ottawa-based Telesat, meant to support LEO projects directed at northern communities in 2019. In a statement to The Hill Times, Justin Simard, a spokesperson for ISED, said that the Telesat project is “expected to be available in late 2027.” The territorial government has also committed to building a 1,300-kilometre fibre line to four Nunavut communities, which is expected to come online by 2031, according to Nunatsiaq News. “The Government of Canada remains on track to meet its household high-speed internet connectivity objectives,” read Simard’s statement. “Significant investments have been made by the federal government … to bridge the digital divide in Northern Canada. “ the completion of large-scale infrastructure in the North requires longer lead times and, in this case, will not be completed by December 2026.” By the end of 2026, it is projected that 98.8 per cent of Canadian households will have access to high-speed broadband, though only 16.7 per cent of Nunavut homes will be connected. In comparison, all other provinces and territories are anticipated to reach over 90 per cent access next year, including Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, all of which are expected to reach 100 per cent connectivity by the end of 2026. In particular, Quebec has experienced full connectivity since 2022, including in the northern region of Nunavik, where the province’s partnership with Starlink has helped connect remote households to LEO access, according to ISED. “Canada is making steady progress toward its 50/10 Universal Service Objective, and data from the CRTC…indicate that the goal is achievable by 2030,” said a statement from Byron Holland, president and CEO of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, a non-profit responsible for managing the ‘.ca’ domain code. “Yet the challenge is significant: rural and remote regions, including parts of the North and many Indigenous communities, remain underserved.” “Achieving full connectivity in areas with geographical constraints and low population density will require targeted investment, flexible technology strategies, and strong partnerships … as Canadians’ needs evolve beyond minimum speed targets.” For the NDP’s Johns, investment in internet access isn’t just essential for people living in remote areas, it’s also a politically timely issue for the Liberal government. “We’re dealing with more climate emergencies and other issues, and people can’t access the internet,” he said. “But when the prime minister talks about nation-building projects, there is no greater nation-building project than connectivity." “That is exactly what nation-building should look like.” dlegree@hilltimes.com This story has been cross-published with The Hill Times.

Feds ‘on track’ to connect every household to high-speed internet by 2030, as critics point to gaps in rural and Northern Canada

Telecom |
By Davis Legree
|January 5, 2026

In 2026, 98.8 per cent of Canadian homes are expected to have access to high-speed broadband, surpassing the Liberal government’s goal of 95 per cent set in 2019. But only 16.7 per cent of Nunavut homes are projected to meet that mark next year.

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Feds ‘on track’ to connect every household to high-speed internet by 2030, as critics point to gaps in rural and Northern Canada

Telecom | By Davis Legree |January 5, 2026

In 2026, 98.8 per cent of Canadian homes are expected to have access to high-speed broadband, surpassing the Liberal government’s goal of 95 per cent set in 2019. But only 16.7 per cent of Nunavut homes are projected to meet that mark next year.

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

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