Unifor is calling on all levels of government and industry to step up and fight back against U.S. tariffs on Canadian products. While there are some industries who are more heavily impacted than others through direct trade activity, the tariffs are an economy-wide threat to Canada.

 

The U.S. trade war has presented a threat to Canadian sovereignty and Canadian jobs. For the telecommunications sector, the trade war initiated by the United States mandates  is a call to action to ensure that the industry becomes more resilient and less vulnerable to foreign governments and companies.

 

Unifor is calling for governments and industry to:

 

• Tighten foreign ownership rules by prohibiting U.S. companies from purchasing any Canadian telecommunications company operating in the country or any core infrastructure (e.g., wireless backhaul infrastructure, transmitting infrastructure, data centres).
• Protect our infrastructure to safeguard Canada’s sovereignty in an increasingly volatile global landscape, recognize it as a strategic national security asset, secure telecommunication standards and crisis preparedness requirements for all telecom providers.
• Continue rolling out funds for broadband infrastructure projects in remote and rural regions, while ensuring that these projects create good local jobs, especially at the federal level and within the scope of the CRTC
• Dedicate government funding to expand broadband infrastructure to include, where possible, partnering with Indigenous communities to establish locally owned service providers and telecommunications infrastructure.
• Introduce governmental incentives for Canadian telecommunications companies to develop more domestic production capacity and reduce their dependence on U.S. or other foreign suppliers. Incentives should be contingent on creating jobs locally and keeping jobs in Canada.
• Prohibit foreign satellite companies from expanding their services in Canada and phase out foreign satellite presence by expanding terrestrial infrastructure in remote areas, following the cancellation of the Ontario government’s deal with Starlink.
• Prioritize Canadian companies and require that work be performed locally and within Canada for any government procurement (at all levels) for telecommunications services and/or equipment
• Proactively explore leveraging publicly owned hydro infrastructure, utilizing our robust telecommunications networks to reduce dependency on U.S. telecom imports and mitigate the economic impacts of ongoing tariff disputes. Specifically, expanding this infrastructure can improve resilience, enhance emergency response capabilities, and ensure reliable telecommunications services during natural disasters or trade-related disruptions. Government funding and support for these initiatives must contain stringent conditions, including the creation of stable local jobs, affordable, regulated consumer rates, and guaranteed equitable access for underserved communities.

About the Telco sector

 

Unifor is Canada’s premier telecommunications union, with nearly 26,000 members  employed by large, small, private, and Crown employers in most regions of the country.
Unifor’s telecommunications sector members make up approximately 8% of the union’s total membership, and the majority of the membership is concentrated among subsidiaries of Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) and SaskTel.