[Advisors] CAP in the House of Commons -- Sept. 2012

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:13:32 -0500

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>From http://openparliament.ca/debates/2012/9/17/christian-paradis-3/

Sept. 17, 2012

Question: Judy Sgro  Liberal York West Ontario

With regard to the government's funding for the Community Access Program 
(CAP) that ended on March 31, 2012: (/a/) how many access sites will be 
affected; (/b/) what communities will be affected; (/c/) how many 
Canadians will lose access to the program; (/d/) what is the demographic 
makeup of the clients who used the sites; (/e/) what is the demographic 
makeup of the population that otherwise has limited access to the 
internet and will be most affected by the termination of the program; 
(/f/) how many Canadians will lose their employment as a result of the 
termination of the program; and (/g/) what is the total dollar amount 
that the government intends to save by terminating the program?

Response:  Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the government's funding for the community 
access program, CAP, that ended on March 31, 2012, and in response to 
(a) and (b), the community access program was launched in 1995 with the 
objective to encourage participation in the knowledge-based economy by 
maximizing the accessibility of computers and the Internet at public 
access points all across Canada. In 1995, only 40% of Canadian 
households had a computer and only about 10% of these had Internet 
access. In contrast, in 2010 about 79% of Canadians had access to the 
Internet at home. Today with the advent of smart phones, many Canadians 
have such access to the Internet in their hands.

The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of a nationally 
accessible digital infrastructure and views it as a crucial part of 
future efforts to ensure that Canada benefits from the global digital 
economy. In support of that, we have brought broadband access to nearly 
218,000 households across Canada through the Broadband Canada: 
Connecting Rural Canadians program. Furthermore, federal funding will 
continue to support youth internships at community Internet sites. This 
will provide young Canadians with vital skills and work experience 
needed to make a successful transition to the workplace. Former 
CAP-supported sites will continue to be eligible to benefit from this 
funding.

During fiscal 2011-12, there were 3,830 CAP sites in communities across 
Canada. As most CAP sites are not dependent exclusively on federal 
funding, the number of access sites and communities affected remains to 
be determined. Individual sites will determine the best way forward.

In response to (c), (d) and (e), this information is not available as 
Industry Canada does not capture usage data of this nature.

In response to (f), very few employees will be affected and Industry 
Canada is working with them to identify other suitable employment 
opportunities.

In response to (g), federal funding for the community access program, 
CAP, ended on March 31, 2012. The total federal funding available for 
CAP for 2011-12 was $15 million: grants and contributions of $14.1 
million and operations and maintenance of $900,000.

Industry Canada will continue to receive $10.1 million in 2012-13 
through the federal government's youth employment strategy in order to 
continue to fund youth internships. Former CAP-supported sites will 
continue to be eligible for this funding.

Marita

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