The Ontario Liberal Party is calling on Premier Doug Ford to cancel the province's plan to pay Elon Musk’s Starlink $100 million to provide satellite internet hookups to 15,000 remote homes and businesses.
Leader Bonnie Crombie issued a statement Wednesday saying if Ford was "serious about standing up to Trump, he would cancel his sweetheart deal with Elon Musk."
"Why did Doug cozy up to Elon in the first place? This is a destructive man child who proudly styles his leadership after a dictator, and is championing the 25 per cent tariff on Canada," said Crombie.
The Liberals' letter comes as a number of users on Musk's social media platform, X, are calling on the province to cancel the Starlink contract over a gesture Musk made on stage during a Trump inauguration event that resembled a Nazi salute.
The Liberals also criticized the agreement's high cost to taxpayers.
The $100-million figure raised eyebrows when it was announced in November, shortly after the U.S. election. It breaks down to $6,667 per connection and recipients will still have to pay monthly fees — while Starlink kits retail for about $500. A government spokesperson told Village Media at the time that up to $92 million of the cost will “cover capacity reservation from Starlink for Ontario, hardware and installation costs, and (an) Indigenous Engagement and Participation Plan.”
According to Infrastructure Ontario, Starlink was one of two satellite internet service providers it shortlisted in the procurement process for the project "based on technical and financial criteria identified through a request for qualifications (RFQ) process that began in August 2023."
NDP MPP France Gélinas, who represents the Nickel Belt riding in northern Ontario, denounced the government's Starlink agreement back in November.
“Am I happy we will have an option for fast internet? Yes, absolutely," Gélinas said. "Am I disappointed that taxpayer money will go to a rich for-profit corporation with no regard for the users? I am.”
The satellite internet service is due to be up and running by June 2025.
"As the first competitive process of its kind in Canada, ONSAT will leverage modern technology to provide high-speed internet access (50/10 Mbps) to unserved and underserved homes and businesses across Ontario where fibre optic or fixed wireless services are not currently available," Infrastructure Ontario said at the time.
The Liberals' infrastructure critic, Stephen Blais, called on the province to find an "Ontario-based, made-in-Canada solution" instead.
The Trillium has reached out to Surma's office and will update this story with its response.
