The announcement was made today by the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine; Caroline Proulx, Quebec’s Minister of Tourism and Minister Responsible for the Lanaudière Region and the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region; Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet) and Member of the National Assembly for Orford; Marie-Eve Proulx, Member of the National Assembly for Côte-du-Sud; Denis Tardif, Member of the National Assembly for Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata; and Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor.

“This is excellent news for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region and for rural Quebec as a whole. The pandemic has shown us how essential high-speed Internet access has become for our communities, not only for bringing people together virtually but also for working, studying and doing business. Our government understands that it is urgent and vital to connect rural regions throughout Canada, including Quebec. We are proud to participate in this important project and will continue to invest and partner with the Government of Quebec to ensure each household has access to high-speed Internet.”
- The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine

“This is excellent news for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. The investments announced are unprecedented and demonstrate the extent to which the deployment of high-speed Internet services is a priority for our government. These services have become essential, not only to foster economic development and tourism in the regions but also to support the vitality of our communities.”
- Caroline Proulx, Quebec’s Minister of Tourism and Minister Responsible for the Lanaudière Region and the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region

“Today’s announcement is very important for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Thanks to the collaboration between our government and Vidéotron, 5,300 households will have access to reliable, effective high-speed Internet services by September 2022. I’m proud of the work that’s been accomplished. We’re steadfast in our commitment. We will become leaders in connectivity.”
- Gilles Bélanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet) and Member of the National Assembly for Orford

“Today’s announcement brings me great joy because it demonstrates that our government is delivering on its commitments. The willingness to take action and to collaborate is what’s making it possible to resolve issues, and that’s why I commend all the players in this unprecedented operation. And finally, my thoughts turn to the people in my riding, who, as a result of this announcement, will be able to say, after so many years of waiting, that they’ll finally have access to high-speed Internet.”
- Marie-Eve Proulx, Member of the National Assembly for Côte-du-Sud

“More than ever, we have to provide our businesses with the means to continue growing. Also, we want to connect households to make teleworking and staying in touch with loved ones possible. Today’s announcement wraps up the connectivity projects in all the municipalities in the riding. I’m proud of the work done by our government, which makes it possible to offer the population high-speed Internet, such a long-awaited service.”
- Denis Tardif, Member of the National Assembly for Rivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata

“Vidéotron is proud to have been chosen to connect these households in the region to high-speed Internet. Our company’s been present in Bas-Saint-Laurent homes for a good many years, and the investment announced today will help us connect even more residents to our network. By September 2022, 5,300 more households in the region will be able to benefit from the best in telecommunications, the best service and the best prices.”
- Pierre Karl Péladeau, President and CEO of Quebecor

• Operation High Speed will ensure connectivity for 150,000 households, notably through unprecedented agreements with six of the biggest telecommunications companies. This is made possible by an equal investment of $826.3 million from the governments of Canada and Quebec.

• The Government of Canada has allocated billions of dollars to Internet infrastructure in rural and remote regions, including $2.75 billion as part of the Universal Broadband Fund, of which $1 billion comes from Budget 2021.

• On March 9, 2021, the Government of Quebec announced that it was increasing its budget to more than $1 billion to accelerate the connection of thousands of Quebec households to high-speed Internet.

Marie-Pier Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development
613-295-8123
Marie-Pier.Baril@cfc-swc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

Alexandra Roy
Political Attaché
Office of the Premier
819-212-0459
alexandra.roy@mce.gouv.qc.ca

Anne-Hélène Couturier
Public Relations Advisor
Ministère du Conseil exécutif du Québec
581-994-2663
medias@mce-sct.gouv.qc.ca

Merick Séguin
Advisor, Public Relations and Corporate Affairs
Vidéotron
438-889-3220
merick.seguin@videotron.com

Stay connected

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media.
Twitter: @ISED_CA, Facebook: Canadian Innovation, Instagram: @cdninnovation and LinkedIn

Annex: Canada–Quebec Operation High Speed—List of municipalities targeted by Vidéotron’s project in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region

Les Basques RCM: 

• Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux
• Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski

Kamouraska RCM:

• Kamouraska
• La Pocatière
• Mont-Carmel
• Picard
• Rivière-Ouelle
• Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska
• Saint-André-de-Kamouraska
• Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière
• Saint-Bruno-de-Kamouraska
• Saint-Denis-De La Bouteillerie
• Saint-Gabriel-Lalemant
• Saint-Germain
• Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska
• Saint-Joseph-de-Kamouraska
• Saint-Onésime-d’Ixworth
• Saint-Pacôme
• Saint-Pascal
• Saint-Philippe-de-Néri

Rivière-du-Loup RCM:

• Cacouna
• L’Isle-Verte
• Notre-Dame-du-Portage
• Rivière-du-Loup
• Saint-Antonin
• Saint-Arsène
• Saint-Cyprien
• Saint-Épiphane
• Saint-François-Xavier-de-Viger
• Saint-Hubert-de-Rivière-du-Loup
• Saint-Modeste

Témiscouata RCM:

• Biencourt
• Dégelis
• Lac-des-Aigles
• Lejeune
• Pohénégamook
• Rivière-Bleue
• Saint-Athanase
• Saint-Eusèbe
• Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata
• Saint-Marc-du-Lac-Long
• Saint-Michel-du-Squatec
• Saint-Pierre-de-Lamy
• Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac