Canadian ICT Federation Submission on Digital Economy Strategy
Submitted by Canadian ICT Federation 2010–07–13 13:55:54 EDT
Theme(s): Building Digital Skills, Canada's Digital Content, Digital Infrastructure, Growing the ICT Industry, Innovation Using Digital Technologies
Submission
July 9, 2010
Dear Sir or Madam:
We are writing on behalf of the Canadian ICT Federation. As our letterhead shows, the Federation represents national, provincial and regional technology associations from different parts of Canada. They represent nearly 10,000 members.
Federation members are submitting their own responses to the Consultation Paper, but the Federation wishes to emphasize a few key points on behalf of the group as a whole.
First, the Federation strongly supports the need for a national digital economy strategy. We also support increased collaboration between governments on the digital economy strategy.
We agree that the strategy should make Canada a world–leading digital economy in both use and creation.
From the standpoint of growing Canada's ICT industry, the two biggest barriers in the experience of Federation members from all across the country are talent and capital.
On the talent issue, we believe the solution lies in a concerted, collaborative and high–profile promotion campaign. A major communication and promotion campaign will also serve a number of other aspects of the digital economy strategy.
On the capital side, while increased collaboration and other measures to foster the flow of private sector investment (domestic and foreign) will help, it is not possible to resolve the significant shortage of capital without significant added investment. Federation members are aware that our provincial governments have deployed a variety of measures, which vary across the country and address certain needs but not others. We are also aware that the Federal Government has taken action on a number of fronts.
But there remains a significant gap that should be addressed nationally through measures that incent private sector investment and grow the capital pool through matching fund strategies.
Federation members have also expressed a common interest in greater availability of spectrum, since mobile technology and applications are major growth opportunities and spectrum shortages can significantly blunt this growth.
Sincerely,
Bernard Courtois
President & CEO, ITAC and
Secretariat of the Canadian ICT Federation
Websites:
The Newfoundland & Labrador Association of Technology Industries — (NATI)
Innovation and Technology Association of PEI — (ITAP)
Regroupement des partenaires du gouvernement en technologie de l'information (RPGTI) — Québec (in French only)
Communitech Technology Association Waterloo Region, Ontario
Ottawa Centre for Research And Innovation – (OCRI)
Information & Communication Technologies Association of Manitoba
Saskatchewan Advanced Technology Association
BC Technology Industries Association
Information Technology Association of Canada
Secretariat:
220 Laurier Avenue West
Suite 1120
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Z9
Phone: (613) 238–4822
Fax: (613) 238–7967
