Government Taking Digital Strategy Seriously
Consultation process should be driven by citizens, not closed-door meetings with Industry lobbyists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 6, 2010
Contact:
Steve Anderson
OpenMedia.ca
National Coordinator
604-837-5730
[email protected]
On Friday, the government announced that a public consultation on Canada’s digital economy will be conducted. The Conservatives plan to compile a discussion paper on this issue and make it available for public comment.
OpenMedia.ca has encouraged public engagement concerning a much-needed digital strategy policy, and therefore commends the government for addressing this issue. However, OpenMedia.ca has concerns over the document and the overall framework of the consultation. It seems that discussions concerning both the document and consultation have been developed exclusively through closed-door meetings with Industry lobbyists -- not Canadians. So far, there is no evidence that the government has sought for input from citizens or consumer groups in the production of this document.
OpenMedia.ca is also concerned with the lack of face-to-face interaction between government officials and citizens regarding this consultation; to be asking for the public’s opinion via Facebook, email or regular mail will be limiting. This approach does not provide space for sufficient and effective discussion that occurs during event hearings and meetings between members of parliament, citizen groups and individuals.
Furthermore, OpenMedia.ca is also apprehensive about the proposed advisory committee that will interpret the results of the consultation; it may not represent the interests of Canadians. We recommend that the advisory committee be primarily comprised of citizen representatives, rather than Industry lobbyists or government bureaucrats.
National Coordinator of OpenMedia.ca, Steve Anderson said today, “We have been calling for public consultations regarding digital strategy for some time now, and we are glad to see the government is finally taking this issue seriously. That being said, we do believe that this document and consultation are important to all Canadians. All citizens should have the opportunity to both drive the consultation process and to verbally discuss the contents in face-to-face meetings.”
Background:
In recent years, Canada has gone from a leader in Internet technology and adoption to what many consider an Internet laggard. Canada has fallen behind many European and Asian countries in terms of Internet access, speed, and cost, moving us from 2nd to 10th place within the 30 OECD countries. Our broadband connection speeds have also fallen below the OECD average, and we rank 27th in terms of cost versus speed.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Industry Minister Tony Clement have had closed-door meetings with representatives from the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC). ITAC is Canada's most powerful lobby group for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. Between January and November 2009, ITAC reported 21 meetings with top federal officials and cabinet ministers involved in developing national digital strategy policies.
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