“The Internet and Canada’s Future: Opportunities and Challenges” Canadian Internet Registration Authority

May 13, 2011 | Corporate Member News

Don MacLean, CIRA, 2011. Paper, 12 pages, copyright: CIRA

The inaugural process of the Canadian Internet Forum (CIF) took place between November 2010 and February 2011, culminating in a national event in Ottawa, Ontario. The forum was organized by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority with assistance from the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Media Awareness Network. The linkages between the development and deployment of the Internet, economic development and digital literacy have emerged as major issues of public interest in Canada. The CIF process revealed an emerging consensus among Internet stakeholders that there is a strong public interest in the future development and use of the Internet in Canada because of its pervasive economic, social and cultural impacts, which increasingly are felt by individuals, families, communities, organizations and institutions everywhere in the country.

The CIF process confirmed that there is a need for a public forum where all stakeholders can help explore and articulate the public interest in the future development and use of the Internet in Canada—by considering its impacts; discussing the opportunities and challenges they present; identifying issues requiring action by stakeholders in government, the private sector, and civil society; and raising awareness of these issues among decision-makers and the general public in Canada and internationally.

Access the report here.

About the International Institute for Sustainable Development 

The world is challenged by a changing climate, biodiversity loss, abject poverty and environmental degradation. What can make a difference? Good ideas. Creativity. Passion. Innovation. The achievement of change. 

IISD is in the business of promoting change towards sustainable development. As a policy research institute dedicated to effective communication of our findings, we engage decision-makers in government, business, NGOs and other sectors in the development and implementation of policies that are simultaneously beneficial to the global economy, the global environment and to social well-being. 

In the pursuit of sustainable development, we promote open and effective international negotiation processes. And we believe fervently in the importance of building our own institutional capacity while helping our partner organizations in the developing world to excel. 

Established in 1990, IISD is a Canadian-based not-for-profit organization with a diverse team of more than 150 people located in more than 30 countries. Through our dynamic portfolio of projects, we partner with more than 200 organizations throughout the world. To learn more about our history, please visit the IISD Timeline. 

Click here to learn more about our project work and programs, which are guided by our strategic institutional directions. And please visit our IISD Linkages site to follow our coverage of international negotiations on environment and development. 

IISD is registered as a charitable organization in Canada and has 501(c)(3) status in the United States. IISD receives core operating support from the Government of Canada, provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Environment Canada, and from the Province of Manitoba. The Institute receives project funding from numerous governments inside and outside Canada, United Nations agencies, foundations and the private sector.

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