# Carney pitches a 'sovereign broadband backbone' to keep Canadian traffic at home

> Ottawa will help finance a coast-to-coast network with direct links to Europe and Asia. Most Canadian internet traffic currently detours through other countries.

- Published: 2026-09-16T13:00:00.000Z
- By: The Circuit Staff
- Type: News
- Topics: Telecom, Policy
- URL: https://thecircuit.ca/posts/2026-09-16-carney-sovereign-broadband-backbone/

Prime Minister Mark Carney says the federal government will help finance a "sovereign broadband backbone": a nationwide, high-capacity network linking Canada coast to coast, with more direct connections to Europe and Asia and, later, the Arctic. He announced it at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, [MobileSyrup reports](https://mobilesyrup.com/2026/09/16/carney-pitches-sovereign-internet-network-funded-by-feds/). He also proposed tax measures to cut the cost of laying fibre.

The problem it's meant to solve: according to the Canadian Shield Institute, nearly 75% of internet traffic between Canadians travels through other countries, about 64% of it through the U.S. That's a surveillance and resilience risk for traffic that never needed to leave Canada.

What we don't know yet:

- **Cost:** no dollar figure or financing split was announced.
- **Ownership:** the Globe and Mail reports the Major Projects Office is discussing ownership and financing with telecom companies. Rogers, Bell, Telus and Quebecor have voiced support.
- **Timeline:** none given.

Extra capacity could also serve the AI data centres being planned in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.

**Why it matters:** A backbone is invisible to most people, but it decides where your data physically goes. Routing domestic traffic domestically is a sovereignty win that doesn't depend on any single carrier or app. The details to watch are who owns it, and whether smaller ISPs get fair access.