Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday that the federal government will help finance a sovereign, nationwide internet network in an effort to reduce dependence on the U.S.
Specifically, Carney called it a “sovereign broadband backbone” and said it would connect Canada from coast-to-coast as well as establish more direct, secure links to Europe and Asia. Carney later said it would also connect to the Arctic.
Backbones like this typically form the core of a network, providing high-capacity connections to carry lots of traffic and data between locations.
The remarks came during the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, alongside a pitch to add new tax measures that will reduce the cost of building fibre cables.
A sovereign network would bring a few benefits to Canada. For one, it could reduce the amount of Canadian internet traffic and data routed through the U.S. Per the Canadian Shield Institute, nearly 75 per cent of all Canadian-to-Canadian internet traffic routes through other countries, with about 64 per cent going through the U.S. That opens a significant surveillance risk.
The additional capacity offered by a sovereign backbone could also benefit AI data centres, like the ones planned in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C.
While Carney didn’t provide more details at the summit, the Globe and Mail reports that the Major Project Office is discussing ownership and financing models with telecom companies.
The Globe also reported that representatives from Rogers, Bell, Telus, and Quebecor (which owns Freedom Mobile and Videotron) expressed support for Carney’s sovereign network.
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