Reality Check: Liberals will Always Side with Big Telecom Companies

Justin Trudeau is hinting once again that he might consider taking actions desperately needed to bring down the cost of cell phone bills — but only after an election, and people aren't buying it.

"Trudeau wants us to believe if we give him another chance, he won’t let us down this time. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s Liberal government met with well-connected lobbyists for the telecom industry 565 times since taking office, and gave Bell, Rogers and Telus close to $50 million in subsidies and more than $700 million in contracts. Seems clear whose side Trudeau is on,” said NDP Innovation, Science and Economic Development Critic and candidate Brian Masse (Windsor West).

Trudeau's record on big telecom companies includes:

• Two months ago, the Trudeau Liberals voted down a concrete plan that would have ended price-gouging for essential cell and internet services.
• Since 2013, lobbyists and members of the four largest and richest telecommunications companies have donated $41,861 to the Liberal Party of Canada.
• The Liberals met with well-connected lobbyists for the telecom industry 565 times since taking office.
• A quick research shows that Bell, Rogers and Telus received close to $50 million in subsidies and more than $700 million in contracts since 2015.
• While a family earning an average income of $ 43,000 a year must spend more than $1,100 a year on cellphone subscriptions, the profits of the Big Five telecom companies totalled $7.49 billion, and their profit margins have reached an astonishing 38.3 per cent in 2017.
• The election commitments laid out by Jagmeet Singh and the NDP include a price cap to slash telecom bills, measures to introduce more competition and outlawing data caps.