A Connected Canada
... Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Many would say that we're
already connected, by roadways, by railways, and even airwaves!
But a new century brings new challenges, and looking ahead, Canada
must strive for digital connections for all Canadians.
Actually, looking back, we set a vision of a connected in country
back in 1997, when the Speech from the Throne articulated a National
Vision to Amake the information and knowledge infrastructure accessible
to all Canadians, thereby making Canada the most connected nation
in the world.
Six years later, most would say we've already reached our goal and
achieved the vision, with internet access available to all communities
in Canada through programs such as Schoolnet, Librarynet, and the
Community Access Program. In fact, our latest numbers show that
Canadians are world leaders in using the internet in increasingly
sophisticated ways B to shop, to research, to bank and more. Businesses
are moving to streamline their internal processes, and build an
online presence.
And while what we have achieved to date is commendable, it=s really
just a first step in a long journey towards a completely networked
economy and society. What is the next step, the next challenge?
Broadband. Once again, the government articulated a vision. In the
2002 Speech from the Throne, when we announced a plan to ensure
that all Canadian communities would have access to broadband by
2005.
Why the vision? Why all of Canada?
Because life in the internet slow lane will become more and more
challenging as internet applications and services become more and
more advanced. And we believe that all Canadians, wherever they
live, should have access to these new applications and services.
Think about it.
While content-sharing and spam have been grabbing most of the media
attention of late, there are a number of interesting and innovative
pilots going on right now, that really leverage the power of the
internet to deliver valuable services to our citizens and businesses
in areas such as healthcare, online learning, electronic commerce,
and governments online. Things that once would have been considered
science fiction are happening here, and happening now. Who would
have thought even as recently as 10 years ago, that we would now
be conducting trials and tests, in areas such as long distance,
robot assisted surgery. If this is happening today, what will the
future hold?
While we can't be sure, we must be ready. We must lay the groundwork
for the Networked Nation, the foundation of which is broadband.
