QUESTION PERIOD — Transport and Communications
Business of the Committee
May 18, 2022
Honourable senators, on Wednesdays the Canadian Senators Group directs questions to committee chairs. Therefore, my question today is for my honourable colleague, Senator Housakos, chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications.
Senator Housakos, prior to taking on Bill S-6, the Transport and Communications Committee was conducting a study on the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure. I understand that the committee intends to return to this study.
As you know, I approach everything in the Red Chamber through an agricultural and rural lens, so my question today will focus on the rural experience which is, unfortunately, often forgotten.
The 20% of our population who live in rural, remote or northern communities frequently have issues accessing critical infrastructure of all types, from transportation to access to reliable and affordable broadband.
The disparity between urban and rural Canadians has become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This gap will almost certainly be further exacerbated as our country continues to see the effects of climate change and its subsequent impacts on existing infrastructure.
With that in mind, can you advise if your committee will take into consideration the ways in which critical infrastructure in rural communities may be impacted by climate change, understanding that they face different issues than their urban counterparts?
And can you confirm that voices from rural regions will be amplified to ensure a comprehensive study that reflects the whole of Canada?
Thank you, Senator Black, for your question and also for having the courtesy of providing it to me in advance.
I’m happy to tell you that on April 27 of this year the committee heard testimony from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which has over 2,000 members, representatives from right across the country.
As part of its testimony, FCM discussed its work with rural communities, noting that it provides training at regional levels so that smaller municipalities can learn how to use the federal government’s climate data in their infrastructure planning.
The committee also plans on inviting individual municipalities, including rural ones, to testify at the committee on this important study.
The FCM will be recommending some municipalities that have shown leadership on this issue to testify at committee on this study. I also want to underline that as per the tradition of the Senate, just because senators don’t serve on the committee on a regular basis, every senator can follow and participate.
Also, I encourage yourself and all members of this chamber that have recommendations in terms of witnesses on this important study to make them to our steering committee, as those would be more than embraced. Our clerk expects to have the input from the FCM and, in order to plan going forward, our witnesses. We look forward, as usual, to making sure that our study is all-encompassing and making sure that all regions of the country are well represented.
