Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to government information about service disruptions to telecommunications networks in Canada that were caused in whole or in part by theft, attempted theft or vandalism of copper or other metal components of network infrastructure, for the period from January 1, 2020, to the most recent date for which data is available: (a) how many such service disruptions have been reported by telecommunications service providers to the government, broken down by year and by municipality; (b) for each disruption in (a), what was the estimated number of affected customers and the duration of the disruption; (c) how many of the disruptions in (a) affected (i) wireline telephone service, (ii) mobile phone service, (iii) internet service, (iv) access to 911 emergency services; (d) for each year in the period, what proportion of the total number of reported service disruptions to telecommunications networks was attributable, in whole, or in part to theft, attempted theft or vandalism of copper or other metal components; and (e) what guidance, directives or requirements, if any, has the government issued to telecommunications service providers regarding the reporting, prevention and mitigation of service disruptions linked to theft, attempted theft or vandalism of copper or other metal components of network infrastructure?

With regard to the government’s ongoing development of regulatory and technical frameworks relating to lawful access, digital communications systems, and telecommunications network design, including the proposals contained in Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access, and related measures: (a) what technical capabilities, standards, or system requirements is the government currently developing, considering, or consulting on in relation to (i) telecommunications providers’ ability to enable government-authorized access to communication networks, (ii) the collection, retention, structuring, or use of metadata such as time, location, and connection data associated with electronic communications, (iii) the design or modification of network infrastructure to facilitate such capabilities; (b) what is the current status of broadband and high-speed internet deployment across Canada, including rural, remote, and northern communities, and what proportion of households currently lack access to reliable high-speed internet service meeting federal connectivity targets, broken down by region; (c) what assessments has the government undertaken regarding the capacity of existing telecommunications infrastructure to implement or support the technical requirements described in (a), including (i) any analysis of rural, remote, northern, and low-density service areas and associated network limitations or implementation constraints across Canada, (ii) the findings of those assessments, including any identified risks, gaps, or regional disparities in infrastructure readiness or capability, (iii) which stakeholders, industry participants, provinces, territories, or other parties were consulted, and the nature and timing of such consultations; (d) what analysis has been conducted regarding the distributional or equity impacts of the technical and regulatory approaches described in (a) and (c), including whether such analysis identified any differential impacts on rural, remote, or northern communities in terms of infrastructure burden, service feasibility, privacy exposure, or network concentration, and what were the results and conclusions of those analyses; (e) what role, if any, do federal ministers or departments currently exercise in defining or directing technical specifications, implementation standards, or regulatory requirements for telecommunication systems intended to support lawful access functions, including through regulation, guidance, or administrative instruments; and (f) what safeguards are currently being developed or applied to ensure that any government-directed or government-influenced technical requirements for telecommunications infrastructure are subject to judicial authorization frameworks, independent oversight mechanisms, and parliamentary review, rather than being determined solely through ministerial or regulatory processes?