OTTAWA and STRATFORD, ON – Industry Minister Tony Clement has kicked off a consultation process designed to build consensus on Canada’s forthcoming national digital economy strategy.
Speaking at the Canada 3.0 conference in Stratford on Monday morning, Minister Clement announced that the government will hold roundtable meetings and accept on-line submissions from the private sector, academia and the Canadian public on priorities and targets.
“Canada can and should be a leader in the global digital economy,” said Minister Clement, in a statement. “Now is the time for the private sector to step up and contribute their ideas for a digital strategy and, when that strategy is in place, to implement the plan.”
The consultations, which begin immediately and run through July 9, 2010, will be hosted online at www.digitaleconomy.gc.ca. A discussion paper posted on the consultation site shows that the following themes are being considered:
– Capacity to Innovate Using Digital Technologies;
– Building a World-Class Digital Infrastructure;
– Growing the Information and Communications Technology Industry;
– Digital Media: Creating Canada’s Digital Content Advantage; and
– Building Digital Skills for Tomorrow.
The government will review the information and use it to form the back bone of the country’s national digital economy strategy. A government press release said that the consultations are aimed at identifying areas of collaboration, priority issues to be addressed, and opportunities for re-aligning existing federal policies and programs.
“It is clear from previous and on-going discussions that government can play a key role in providing the legislative and investment framework so that individual businesses can be global leaders in their fields”, the release reads. “However, it is the private sector that has the talent, technology and entrepreneurial spirit to take the initiative in securing Canada’s position of leadership in the global digital economy”.
