Canada is wired to a world where technology unites and divides.

Canada has great strengths and some challenges in its development and use of ICT at home and abroad. What are the ICT priorities Canada should focus on at home and globally? To stimulate your thinking about this question, this discussion guide offers a few approaches to the question of ICT policy. These approaches are not exhaustive or mutually exclusive. Feel free to come up with your own approaches or combine different elements of these three approaches. The approaches are not meant to limit or narrow your thinking but simply to stimulate your ideas about what Canada should and could do. We encourage you to be creative in bringing your own ideas to the discussion.

Approach One

Prioritize access for all

Canada would strive to adopt policies to provide the greatest number of people, both at home and abroad, with access to ICT. In the modern world access to ICT should be considered a basic right. More than that, access to ICT is critical to Canada's competitiveness in areas ranging from the information sector to the mass media and the arts. On a national level, the government and private companies would invest in the expansion of ICT infrastructure to provide access to wireless phones and the Internet to all Canadians, regardless of their level of education or income or their location. Internationally, Canada would offer ICT-based development assistance to developing countries to allow them to catch up to the developed world and enjoy similar freedoms and opportunities.

A focus on increasing access would lead the government to provide incentives to Canadian companies to encourage them to develop new technologies that permit improved access to ICT. This would include helping major companies achieve international competitiveness and supporting small start-up enterprises through their early years. Copyright and intellectual laws would strike a reasonable balance between protecting creators of art and technology and allowing users a maximum amount of freedom to enjoy digital media.

Arguments in favour

√ Improved access would result in the development of "network effects" - the exponential increase in interaction that occurs when people who otherwise might not connect are able to become part of technology networks. The more people that contribute their shared knowledge to the World Wide Web, the greater the value of the information that is provided there, for everyone. With more people using email, the advantages of being connected grow, as more people can be reached using this technology. These network effects show how everyone benefits from greater access, even those who already have good access to technology.

√ Democratizing access to the Internet in Canada and abroad would promote entrepreneurship and economic development in all regions of Canada, stimulating the development of new businesses and artists, which would contribute to the global economy and lead to further expansion of ICT. Canada could make a significant contribution to closing the digital divide abroad and use the relationships that result from ICT-specific development assistance as a base for potential economic relations in the future.

√ Expanding Internet access means giving people a new way to get informed and involved, contributing to a more active and politically aware population.

Arguments against

× The market is the best driver of ICT expansion. Canada is already one of the most wired countries in the world and its ICT user rate will continue to grow. We do not need to rush this, especially since it is unlikely that heavy investment in rural and poor areas will yield returns. The same argument holds for international aid. As countries develop they will adopt ICT, but in the short term Canadian funds, effort, and good will should be used to fight more immediate problems like disease and malnutrition.

× Arguing that access to the Internet automatically translates into more business, art, and political activism is simplistic. Most Internet traffic is wrapped up in entertainment and blogs - the sites most frequented by Canadians, excluding search engines, are Facebook and YouTube, followed by Wikipedia, MySpace, and Blogger.com

× Promotion of homegrown businesses and protectionist measures do not guarantee economic returns. Subsidies and protectionism tends to create inefficient companies, and while protection for Canadian technological talent has worked in the past, this investment does not guarantee the emergence of another company like RIM or another breakthrough product like the BlackBerry.

Questions

1. Are we so reliant on the Internet that access should be a public good and thus a policy priority?

2. Should we invest government money in expanding the Internet to places where there is perhaps not enough demand to make it profitable for private interests to provide Internet services? Why not let the market do this?

3. Should we prioritize ICT over other sectors of our economy?

4. Should we invest in ICT in developing countries, or should we devote our aid dollars to addressing other problems?

Approach Two

Emphasize market-based solutions for ICT

The ICT sector has developed very rapidly, with minimal government regulations and controls. The role of the Canadian government would focus on supporting well functioning financial and economic markets that allow for entrepreneurship, innovation and growth and not on picking winners and losers or making markets serve social purposes. The government would invest more in public education so that tomorrow's workers and leaders are able to benefit from all of the advantages that are offered by ICT innovation. Government also has an important role to play in supporting basic science and technology research at universities and technology institutes and would collaborate with the private sector on commercializing research.

There is no need for the heavy hand of the state to impose unreasonable Canadian content laws or to restrict foreign ownership in the ICT sector. The market (consumer demand) should determine what content is provided and which businesses succeed. However, to help markets function well, Canada would implement stricter copyright and patent protection and tighten enforcement of such laws in order to ensure profit incentives work and users pay. Internationally, Canada's development policy would promote a trade-based approach to ICT by supporting developing countries' trade strategies. This would include pushing for deregulation in their technology sectors while also opening up markets in the developed world for their products.

Arguments in favour

√ Basic economic theory and practice has shown that a well functioning market is the most efficient method of allocating resources. Allowing content to be driven by market demand would provide users with affordable ICT products and services and would maximize choice.

√ Reducing subsidies would force Canadian companies to get more aggressive and competitive. While fewer companies would succeed, those who made it would be globally competitive.

√ By implementing and enforcing strict intellectual property laws, Canada would stimulate development of new technology products and artistic content: the profit incentive would be protected and creators would not fear having the fruits of their labour stolen or appropriated by others

√ Treating developing countries as partners rather than beneficiaries of aid allows them to develop their own competitive businesses, making them less dependent on donors while at the same time providing Canadian companies with business partnerships.

Arguments against

× Given the domination of American ICT companies and the size of the US market, Canadian ICT businesses face an uneven playing field. In addition, world powers like China invest heavily in applied research and in support for the ICT sector. Canada cannot afford to not invest in this sector if it wants a Canadian presence in ICT at home and abroad. To do otherwise would be to abandon our fastest growing industrial sector.

× Canadian content requirements promote the development of Canadian media, arts, and technology. Without such laws Canada would be even more saturated with foreign content and risk further erosion of our national cultural identity.

× By implementing stricter copyright laws, Canada would be promoting corporate control of technology and the arts. Open source software and free use of Web 2.0 encourage citizen control of ICT.

× Canadian international development policy should include a focus on supporting the development of ICT sectors. Without this aid, developing countries will not be able to create homegrown industries and expand their population's access to ICT tools. Such aid can allow them to create a solid ICT industry and economy which could, in time, lead to mutually beneficial trade with Canada.

Questions

1. Is it important to have Canadian perspectives on domestic and international news? What about Canadian ownership - whether public or private?

2. Should some parts of ICT (e.g., Internet access ) be considered a public good?

3. Do we need to set a good example for our major trading partners, such as China, in terms of respect for intellectual property?

Approach Three

Emphasize ICT to advance Canadian interests.

Canada' ICT policies would be guided by a clear articulation of Canadian interests. ICT is the fastest growing sector of the global economy, and therefore Canada must strive to become a global ICT leader. We need to also pay attention to the risks associated with allowing greater foreign ownership of the Canadian media and greater foreign content. Under this approach Canada would shore up defenses in the ICT sector to strengthen our economy and our cultural sovereignty. In order to achieve these goals, Canada would implement stricter Canadian content laws and foreign ownership restrictions in the ICT sector. Regulations on privacy and security would strike a reasonable balance between the protection of private interests and the protection of collective security. Without infringing on Canadians' freedom of expression, Internet privacy laws would enable Canadian law enforcement agencies to access information on people who threaten Canada's security. Internationally, Canada would tie its ICT-specific development assistance to the purchase of Canadian goods and services - if developing countries wanted financial assistance from us, they would use it to buy our products.

Arguments in favour

√ Active promotion of Canadian innovation and creativity in the ICT sector makes good economic sense. Public investment in this sector promises to pay off - just look at RIM and its globally successful BlackBerry. We need this sector to remain globally competitive.

√ Protecting a reasonable level of Canadian ownership of electronic broadcasting will help to support Canadian identity and our ability to continue to tell our own stories. This also helps to support citizen engagement, civic literacy and democratic processes.

√ We know that terrorist and extremist groups are using ICT to advance their causes - and there is recent evidence that Canadian servers house pro-terrorism sites. It is in our collective interest to give Canadian public authorities the regulatory powers to oversee online activities for security purposes.

√ Canadian aid need not be purely philanthropic. While Canada should help other countries, it should use this aid (especially in an area like ICT) as an opportunity to establish mutually beneficial business relationships.

Arguments against

× Governments do a bad job of picking winners and losers. Rather than subsidizing Canadian industry, let the market work - consumers will pick the winners.

× Canada is too small an investment market. We need to encourage more foreign investments if we are to grow a world class ICT sector. Foreign investment will also offer consumers more choice of entertainment, education and news and provide more opportunities for Canadian artists.

× Users' confidence in safe and private use is essential to the development of ICT. Allowing the government to access this information is undemocratic and could set a dangerous precedent.

× Foreign aid is just that: aid. It is philanthropic and meant to help the beneficiary. Tying aid to business is morally questionable and establishes an uneven playing field by creating en economic obligation on the part of developing countries.

Questions

1. What is the right balance between protecting our privacy and protecting collective security? How do we control what the government can and can't see? How will this affect what we are willing to do online?

2. Can we advocate free trade while applying protectionist policies and subsidizing strategic sectors of our economy? Are we willing to risk falling behind or supporting inefficient national companies over efficient, profitable foreign ones?

3. Are we willing to tie aid to the purchase of Canadian goods and services in cases where those goods and services can be purchased more cheaply in the local economy?

4. How important is Canadian cultural sovereignty? Do we need Canadian-made digital content in order to preserve our national identity?

Conclusion

So now, it's your turn. What do you think? The information and the approaches outlined in this discussion guide are meant to provide you with a starting place to ask questions, consider options and develop your own views on how to best position Canada in the changing ICT world. .

This issue, like any international policy issue, is complex and complicated. The conditions within the international arena are always changing and it is often difficult to navigate the best course for Canada. We can decide not to do anything and get swept up in the current or we can set sail in a direction that we have mapped out and defined.

Imagine you are the Prime Minister or the Minister of Industry for the weekend. What ideas, insights, questions and options would help key decision-makers set a course for Canada?

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