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BY ROBERT GHIZ

Canada is entering a new era of nation-building. From liquefied natural gas expansion projects, to the proposed high-speed rail link between Toronto and Quebec City, to the development of critical mineral mines and new port facilities, governments are rightly focused on large, transformative projects that will reshape our economy and strengthen our place in the world.

But one thing is being overlooked: none of these projects can succeed without world-class telecommunications networks.

Telecommunications infrastructure is not just about connecting people to the internet or making mobile calls, it is the digital backbone that underpins every modern industry. Whether it’s sensors on a mining site, autonomous systems managing a port terminal, or advanced data analytics driving efficiency in energy projects, telecom is the hidden infrastructure that makes every other piece of infrastructure work. Without it, nation-building projects risk being outdated before they even begin.

Canada’s telecommunications providers have a strong record of investing in the networks that make these projects possible. Over the past decade, the industry has poured more than $130 billion into building and upgrading wireless and wireline infrastructure. That investment has delivered among the fastest and farthest-reaching networks in the world.

At the same time, Canadian consumers and businesses are getting better value for their dollar. Prices for mobile and internet services have declined significantly in recent years, even as demand for data has surged. Canadians today use more data at faster speeds and lower cost per gigabyte than ever before. Few other essential sectors, such as energy, housing, food, and transportation, can say the same.

In short, the industry has shown it can invest at scale, drive innovation, and deliver lower prices and more value. But sustaining that record depends on the right policy environment.

When governments establish rules that discourage investment—whether through wholesale internet access frameworks that undercut incentives to build, or consumer policies that pile on compliance costs without improving outcomes—they risk diverting resources away from the very networks that Canada’s major projects will depend on.

In other words: if Canada wants to see its great projects succeed, it must create the conditions for continued, large-scale telecommunications network investment.

Failing to align telecom policy with industrial policy risks undermining Canada’s broader goals. Major projects will not operate at peak productivity without next-generation connectivity. Data-driven industries will move investment elsewhere. And Canadians will lose out on the jobs, growth, and opportunities that come from being at the forefront of the digital economy.

Canada has an opportunity to lead, but it requires a shift in mindset. We must recognize telecommunications as critical infrastructure on par with pipelines, ports and power grids. Just as governments are designing policies to reward building of other critical infrastructure, they must ensure that their policies and regulations encourage continued capital investment by facilities-based network providers.

Nation-building projects succeed only when their foundations are strong. In today’s economy, that foundation is a resilient, world-class telecommunications network. Canada’s telecom builders are ready to keep investing in that network. The question is whether government policies will support that ambition or hold it back.

Because one thing is certain, we cannot have major projects without telecom.

Robert Ghiz is the president and CEO of the Canadian Telecommunications Association, and was previously premier of Prince Edward Island.

[Op-Ed originally published by The Hill Times, October 29, 2025]