e-Policy Resources

Connectivity Program Policies

Connectivity, often thought of as the information highway, goes beyond infrastructure. Developing the infrastructure is a first step toward creating a connected society but the real hurdle is ensuring that people are able to access and use the infrastructure in a meaningful way.

How can Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have a direct and significant impact on citizens, business and communities?

The economic advantages of ICT are straightforward. Leading-edge applications will create jobs and growth, and strengthen productivity performance in more traditional industries. And learning technologies will allow workers to acquire and maintain leading-edge skills. The social benefits are even more profound. Connectedness will allow all of us to connect everyone in our societies: elderly people, those living with disabilities and Canadians in remote areas. In addition, government will be able to interact and provide services to citizens in new ways.

Canada’s approach

"We will make the information and knowledge infrastructure accessible to all Canadians by the year 2000, thereby making Canada the most connected nation in the world. This will provide individuals, schools, libraries, small and large businesses, rural and Aboriginal communities, public institutions, and all levels of government with new opportunities for learning, interacting, transacting business and developing their social and economic potential."
- Prime Minister, September 23, 1997

With these words, the Government of Canada launched the Connecting Canadians Strategy, a vision and plan to make Canada the most connected country in the world. From the outset, the strategy engaged stakeholders from each sector of society with one common vision: to ensure that citizens, communities and business would have the skills, means and access to use ICT to fully partake in a knowledge based economy and information society. The connectivity strategy is built on six pillars:

• Canada On-Line
• Smart Communities
• Canadian Governments
• On-Line Connecting Canada to the World
• Electronic Commerce
• Canadian Content On-Line

As a result Canada was the first to connect all Schools and libraries to the Internet, place 4,000,000 refurbished computers in schools and, link universities and research centers in Canada to a high speed optic research network. The strategy also laid a solid foundation for Canadians to use and develop more innovative applications for ICT.

Accenture Gol E-Commerce stats ranked Canada # 1 for Government Services on-line.

Canada continues to develop new policies and strategies. In 2003 Canada launched the Innovation Strategy a two part plan to develop a more innovative economy and citizens. As Canada moves toward a knowledge-based economy it has become ever more important to develop the skills and knowledge of Canadians.

Canada has committed to sharing the Connecting Canadians model with other countries. Both the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas and the Connectivity Africa Initiative are mechanisms to support developing countries in adapting Canada’s connectivity model to their own national context.

For further information on Canada’s connectivity policies, we invite you to contact CePRC at (613) 944-4803.