‘The correct approach’: CTA president buoyed by Carney’s focus on productivity, diversification

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to diversify Canada’s relationships and drive investment bodes well for the domestic telecommunications sector, according to Robert Ghiz, president of the country’s leading industry group. Ghiz, who heads the Canadian Telecommunications Association, delivered closing remarks on the first day of the International Institute of Communications’s annual Canadian conference, in which he endorsed the Liberal government’s policy goals — and what they mean for his member companies. “Our new prime minister, I believe, is taking the correct approach diversifying our economy, diversifying our trade partners, and building a Canada that is able to supply the world with what we have, what they need, and what they want,” said Ghiz, a former P.E.I. premier, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Monday. “Whether it’s agricultural products, seafood products, minerals, oil and gas, potash…, every single one of those industries depends on one thing: they all need telecom to help them achieve their goals.” Ghiz has been among the most vocal critics of the regulator’s wholesale decision allowing Canada's largest carriers to access each other's networks. Earlier on Monday, CRTC chair Vicky Eatrides said the early market returns were “encouraging” in response to the commission’s wholesale policy, though Ghiz has argued the decision was unnecessary and serves to deter capital investment. “Canada does have a dynamic telecom industry that’s competitive and delivers first-class networks,” he said. “But last year, we went down to $10 billion, and that might not seem like a lot, but… that’s a lot of connectivity that could have happened and that’s a lot more resilience that could have happened.” “Unfortunately, in Canada, we need to make a change.” Ghiz lauded the Liberal government’s recently-announced “productivity megadeduction,” which allows industry players to expense capital expenses for 65 per cent of assets, including fibre-optic cable. At last month’s Canada Investment Summit, Carney (Nepean, Ont.) also promised to help finance a new “sovereign broadband backbone” that would connect Canadians across the country, though he provided few additional details. “There’s a renewed focus on productivity, investment, economic growth, and sovereignty,” said Ghiz. “And while it may be a challenging time, I also believe that challenging times present opportunities.” “If we want Canadian businesses to be more productive, they need the tools and infrastructure to adopt new technologies. If we want to diversify trade…, we need reliable ways to connect people, operations, and markets. And, if we want greater security and resilience, we need communication systems that we can depend on. That's where telecommunication fits in.” The two-day conference is set to wrap up on Tuesday. dlegree@thewirereport.ca Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Robert Ghiz said capital investment in Canada had fallen to $10 billion.

‘The correct approach’: CTA president buoyed by Carney’s focus on productivity, diversification

Telecom |
By Davis Legree
|October 20, 2026

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‘The correct approach’: CTA president buoyed by Carney’s focus on productivity, diversification

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