Ottawa, March 12, 2026 – While many rural communities and stretches of numbered roads still lack reliable cellular coverage, Compton–Stanstead MP Marianne Dandurand introduced today in the House of Commons a private member’s bill aimed at improving connectivity in rural areas and strengthening the quality of data used to map network coverage.
Bill C-268, An Act respecting the Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, would require the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to implement a process to improve and verify the accuracy of cellular coverage data. Current coverage maps rely largely on data provided by telecommunications companies, which can sometimes create a gap between theoretical coverage and the real-life experience of citizens on the ground.
“In many rural regions, citizens know there are areas without signal, even when official maps suggest otherwise,” said MP Marianne Dandurand. “Before we can improve cellular coverage, we need to make sure the data used to measure the problem reflects what people actually experience on the ground.”
The bill also calls for a regular review and update of the Spectrum Policy Framework for Canada, which guides how spectrum is used for the deployment of cellular networks nationwide. The last full update to this policy was in 2007.
Finally, the legislation requires the government to give special attention to improving connectivity in rural areas and along numbered highways, addressing communities where market forces alone do not always ensure adequate coverage.
“Access to cellular service is a matter of public safety, economic development, and regional equity,” added MP Dandurand, who also serves as Chair of the Rural Caucus.
In parallel, the mayor of Martinville, Michel-Henri Goyette, has launched a petition calling on the federal government to take concrete action to improve cellular coverage in his community. MP Dandurand will act as sponsor of the petition in the House of Commons.
“I’m very pleased that someone at the federal level is taking the lead to move this issue forward. This is a matter of public safety and economic security, affecting not only remote areas but also communities simply underserved by major providers. Martinville is a perfect example: a village of nearly 500 people with no cellular coverage, just 20 minutes from a major centre. Unfortunately, this is a situation that repeats too often across Coaticook and neighboring regional counties,” said Mayor Goyette.
Since her election, MP Dandurand has met with elected officials, companies, experts, and citizens to better document connectivity issues in rural areas.
The introduction of this private member’s bill is a concrete step toward improving the tools available to understand network gaps and promote a more equitable deployment of cellular connectivity across Canada.
