Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about connectivity. If the Mackenzie Valley Highway or the road to the Slave Geological Province had been built when they were first proposed or in the decade since, the outlook for our economy would be much different, but because we lack basic transportation infrastructure that has been connecting southern Canada for over a century we are facing a relatively near-term economic crisis. However, Mr. Speaker, that's not the kind of connectivity I want to discuss. I want to talk about high-speed Internet access.
If we don't start to capitalize on the recently completed Mackenzie Fibre Optic Link and begin putting the infrastructure in place to ensure that everyone in the NWT has access to high-speed Internet, we will once again be in a position where our infrastructure deficit is holding back our economy and we are playing catch-up with the rest of the developed world.
In 2016, the CRTC declared that broadband Internet access with unlimited data options and a target download speed of 50 megabits per second is a basic telecommunications service that should be available to all Canadians. Although many communities in the NWT are served by a fibre optic backbone, which is more than capable of achieving such results, homes and businesses are still connected to the backbone through antiquated infrastructure, resulting in slow and unreliable Internet for which we are forced to pay top dollar.
According to the CRTC, Canadians living in rural areas need high-quality Internet and mobile wireless service to fully participate in the digital economy and access healthcare, education, government, and public safety services. The vast size of our territory makes this especially true for us, Mr. Speaker. That's why we need to put the right infrastructure in place. If we do it, the possibilities are endless. We could have telehealth services, allowing residents to see and speak with medical professionals anywhere in the world without ever leaving their communities; every school could deliver immersive and interactive educational experiences; we could utilize the economies of scale to broaden the range of courses offered to high school and polytechnic university students. Internet service set as an asset and not as a liability could generate new business opportunities for our residents. Municipalities that install their own broadband infrastructure could use it to generate revenue and make their communities a more attractive place to invest. The list of possibilities is endless, and the time to act is now.
Just last month the CRTC announced it will soon be accepting applications for a $750 million broadband fund which is intended to support infrastructure projects. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted