Brian Tobin was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1980 as Member of Parliament for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

He won re-election in 1984, 1988 and 1993 and was appointed Minister of Fisheries and Oceans on November 4, 1993.

In 1996, Mr. Tobin entered provincial politics in his native province of Newfoundland and Labrador, where he was acclaimed as the Province's sixth Premier. Mr. Tobin won two consecutive majority governments since then, most recently in the provincial general election of February 9th of 1999.

As Premier, Mr. Tobin set an aggressive development agenda, with a strategic economic plan to capitalise on the province's traditional industries such as the fishery, and maximise emerging sectors such as information technology, and offshore petroleum. Newfoundland and Labrador's economic turnaround has been dramatic. Over the last three years, the province's Gross Domestic Product was one of the fastest growing in Canada.

Brian Tobin was appointed Canadian Minister of Industry on October 17, 2000 by Prime Minister Jean ChrÚtien. On November 27, 2000, Mr. Tobin was elected MP for the riding of Bonavista-Trinity-Conception.

As Minister of Industry, Mr. Tobin will work with all sectors of the economy and with all Canadians to improve Canada's innovation performance, to make Canada the most connected nation in the world and to advance Canada's competitiveness in the new knowledge-based economy.

E-mail: tobin.brian@ic.gc.ca

Introduction:
Information and communications technologies (ICTs) can serve as a powerful tool towards achieving many of our most important social and economic goals. They can place a vast universe of knowledge at the fingertips of every citizen, reduce the challenges of geographic distance, and widen the opportunities for the empowerment and advancement of individuals. The Canadian government recognises the tremendous value of these technologies and is determined to help enable all citizens, communities and businesses take advantage of their potential. To do so, we must take steps to avoid the development of a "digital divide" between information "haves" and "have nots" based on social, economic, cultural, linguistic, or geographic grounds. This article will provide a brief overview on how the Canadian government is meeting this challenge, both domestically and internationally, and how it is using ICTs to transform the digital divide into digital opportunities.

Emergence of the Knowledge Society and Economy:
Technology is advancing at a speed that could only have been dreamed of a few short years ago. Trade barriers are falling almost daily as the world makes the shift to a global economy. Strong competitive market forces have resulted not only in the convergence of once separate information and communication technologies but also in the development and growth of new ones. And at the core of all this - and perhaps the cause of all this - is the phenomenal growth of the Internet and related networking technologies. Information networks bring about a fundamental re-engineering of business and social processes.

Some people might question why the Internet, its diffusion and use, is so important? I would provide them with two answers. First, it is the most pervasive technology we have seen in several decades -- so pervasive in nature that it is transforming all areas of life, including how we conduct business and trade, deliver health care and education, as well as how we govern. It is central to development in all its dimensions - the means for economic modernisation; as well as a vehicle for social, cultural and civic enrichment. Secondly, the Internet offers easy access to a vast array of knowledge which, in turn, is a fundamental prerequisite to modern human development. Knowledge is a strategic asset and an invaluable source of empowerment, whether judged in social, political or economic terms.

Unlimited Opportunities for Limited Numbers:
At last year's UN Millennium Summit, the international community identified seven "International Development Goals" for the international community: 1) halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015; 2) enrol all children in primary school by 2015; 3) make progress toward gender equality and empowering women by eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005; 4) reduce infant and child mortality rates by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015; 5) reduce maternal mortality ratios by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015; 6) provide access for all who need reproductive health services by 2015; and 7) implement national strategies for sustainable development by 2005 so as to reverse the loss of environmental resources by 2015. As stated in the G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force or DOT Force Report tabled in July 2001 at the G8 Leaders Summit in Genoa, Italy:

"...ICTs can contribute substantially to realising every one of these goals; either directly (through greater availability of health information, training of medical personnel and teachers, giving voice to women, etc.) or indirectly (through creating new economic opportunities that lift individuals, communities and nations out of poverty)."

While ICTs offer great new opportunities for all nations around the world, many countries face serious obstacles to the rapid deployment of the technology. These obstacles revolve around inadequate infrastructure; uneven levels of access to the technology; and the lack of financial, technical and human resources. Unequal access to ICT technologies produces uneven levels of participation in the information economy and society and results in the inability of many to share in its benefits. These obstacles could deepen an enormous "digital divide" where billions of people could be left outside the global communications/information infrastructure. Let's not forget that one third of the world population has never made a telephone call and that there are more telephones in New York City than in all of Africa.

We can already see the impact of the digital divide on the other social and economic divides of a society. If nothing is done to address the digital divide, the social and economic gaps between the haves and have-nots will worsen. Countries therefore face important challenges which must be overcome in order to strengthen their participation in the global information society and economy.

Canada's Vision for the Knowledge-based Economy and Society:
In Canada, the "digital divide" has emerged as a central public policy concern, at the level of individual, businesses, communities and regions. For instance, Internet usage rates are respectively 4.5 and 4 times higher for university and high income households than for low-educated and low-income households. A survey by the Canadian Federation for Independent Business (CFIB) shows an important gap in Internet use depending on the size of the business; as well as significantly higher Internet usage in urban areas than in rural communities.

To transform these digital divides into opportunities and to orient Canada to take full advantage of the knowledge economy, the government has established the goal of making Canada the most connected nation in the world. "Connecting Canadians" is viewed as an essential enabler for knowledge-based growth, both as an economy and as a society. As a result of our Connecting Canadians agenda, we have now (according to the Internet Industry Almanac, September 2000) the highest percentage of our population on-line of any country in the world. Canada connected all of its schools and libraries to the Internet over two years ago and our SchoolNet Program is now recognised around the world for its innovative and exciting approach to learning through technology. Canada's Community Access Program (CAP), an initiative developed to help provide Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills to use it effectively, has presently 8,800 public access centres open across Canada. CAP is becoming a model for community-based access.

We built the world's fastest and most advanced optical Internet, which is revolutionising telecommunications technology. Canada's National Broadband Task Force has just made suggestions to the federal government on how to make high-speed broadband Internet services available to every community by 2004. Finally, the Canadian government implemented a leading-edge domestic policy and legislative framework to foster adoption and use of electronic commerce by all businesses and consumers.

Canada's commitment to promote digital opportunity is not only limited within its own border, but is truly global. Through many channels, we are sharing our domestic experience and expertise with other countries and are actively participating in building a comprehensive international strategy and action plan to help developing nations bridge the digital divide. Multilateral cooperation by governments, the private sector, civil society and international and regional organisations is vital in building this strategy.

A global agenda is taking shape. Numerous international fora are involved in this issue, such as the G8 DOT Force, the UN ICT Task Force, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Summit of the Americas and the World Bank. Private sector organisations have also taken an interest in the debate including the Global Business Dialogue on E-Commerce (GBDe), the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC).

The consensus that emerged from the G8 DOT Force exercise is encouraging. The DOT Force has succeeded in broadening G8 partnerships - engaging developing countries, the private sector and the not-for-profit sector - and through an open dialogue, came up with a shared agenda ("Genoa Plan of Action") that will contribute to advancing international discussions on how to bridge the digital divide. The DOT Force "brand" has gained considerable credibility. Canada, as President of the G8 in 2002, will have the challenge of ensuring that specific initiatives addressing the Genoa Plan of Action are put in place, either bilaterally by countries, or multilaterally using existing international organisations.

The Commonwealth has also been very active in addressing the digital divide among its member countries. The Expert Group on Information Technology, created in September 2000 by the Commonwealth Heads of Government High Level Review Group (CHLG), developed a Commonwealth Action Programme for the Digital Divide. The Action Programme aims to equip each Commonwealth country with the essential building blocks needed to participate in the global information society and economy. Canada commends the work of the IT Expert Group and will closely work with all its partners in the Commonwealth to ensure proper implementation of the Action Programme.

Conclusion:
With the right policies and objectives in place, Information and Communications Technologies can have far-reaching and positive impacts on development. ICTs are not a magic bullet, nor an alternative to other development investments, but if applied properly they are a crucial enabling factor for development. The opportunities offered by ICTs in all aspects of the development agenda must be recognised by the international development community at the earliest opportunity. We must all work together, in partnerships, in order to create digital opportunities for all - that is the commitment of the Government of Canada.