Maryam Monsef, minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development, and Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MP Francis Drouin met with local media through a virtual teleconference November to explain how the federal government’s expanded Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) will help regional Internet and cellular service improvement projects across Canada and to encourage local service providers to submit their project proposals the Rapid Response Stream application process (RRS) before the January 5, 2021, deadline.