91社区

Inuit communities still lack access to high-speed internet

by聽Catey Fifield聽of

In 2018, Fran莽ois Legault promised that a Coalition Avenir Qu茅bec (CAQ) government would invest聽聽over four years to provide all of Quebec鈥檚 populated regions with access to high-speed internet and wide-band cellular coverage. Additionally, a joint federal-provincial investment of聽聽would give fourteen Inuit communities and twenty-eight institutions in Nunavik, Quebec鈥檚 northernmost administrative region, access to better internet.

It鈥檚 been more than two years, and Nunavimmiut have seen little change in the quality of their internet. According to Andrea Brazeau, a fourth-year Faculty of Education student and resident of the small Inuit community of Kangiqsualjjuaq, poor connection and slow speeds make it nearly impossible to access online health, financial, educational, and work-related services, including COVID-19 benefits and income support.

Last November, Brazeau published an聽聽to Premier Legault urging him to follow up on his campaign promise. While most 91社区 students have had the option of taking their classes from home these past two semesters, Brazeau 鈥� due to the poor internet connection in Kangiqsualujjuaq 鈥� has had to remain in Montreal just to access myCourses, join Zoom meetings, and submit assignments. The聽Daily聽spoke to Brazeau to find out more about the situation in Nunavik and the reaction to her letter.

鈥淚 published it because I wanted to be informed,鈥� Brazeau said, 鈥渢o see if something would move forward [鈥�] I haven鈥檛 received a response.鈥� Maryam Monsef, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, promised to update Brazeau on the multi-million dollar project, but as of this article鈥檚 publication, Brazeau has not received an update.

Brazeau was hopeful that Legault himself would reach out, but she has yet to hear from him. Brazeau contrasted the swiftness with which Legault鈥檚 government responded to restaurateur David McMillan鈥檚聽聽campaign, which secured Quebec restaurants the right to sell alcohol without an accompanying meal in December, to the silence she鈥檚 grown accustomed to.鈥淚t shows who鈥檚 important and who鈥檚 not,鈥� Brazeau remarked.

Reflecting on the Legault administration鈥檚 lack of action, Brazeau added, 鈥淚 wish that these politicians could come up north and live two weeks, or even a week, just to see the realities 鈥� the internet, the lack of housing, the high cost of living. So they could actually聽feel聽what it鈥檚 like. Maybe then they would make a change.鈥�

Brazeau said she would continue to fight for equitable internet access. She鈥檚 been working on an opinion letter, and says she鈥檚 been approached by other students about starting a petition.

Asked what readers could do to support her cause, Brazeau said, 鈥淔ight with us. Fight for things we deserve. Because we do deserve the same resources and services I receive down here.鈥�