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A. Brief Overview  
The Federal Task Force on Digitization was proposed by the ministers of Canadian Heritage and Industry in their May 1996 response to the Information Highway Advisory Council (IHAC) Phase 1 Final Report, Connection, Community, Content (1995). In its report, IHAC stressed the importance of Canada maintaining a strong presence on the Information Highway in both official languages and highlighted the opportunity for government to provide Canadian content by transforming its vast holdings of information, art, artifacts and scientific collections into digital form. The Task Force was established in April l997 to identify issues and to propose mechanisms that will facilitate electronic access to this wealth of Canadian content. Recent advances in information and communications technology are presenting exciting opportunities for creating, converting, marketing, distributing and exporting digital Canadian content. As a communications vehicle, the Information Highway provides the Government of Canada with the opportunity to fulfill its responsibilities in the generation and dissemination of information in a more effective, efficient and timely manner. At the same time, the provision of digital information provides new ways for government to meet its cultural, social and economic policy objectives. Not only does it increase access to and knowledge of the Canadian experience, but it also fosters opportunities for innovation, wealth and job creation in the Canadian content and multimedia industries. The opportunities presented by digitization will increase as the transition to the digital environment accelerates. But many challenges arise for government as it adapts to the digital environment. Most government information holdings and legacy collections are in analogue format, and resources will be needed to support selective conversion into digital format. Effective means are needed to protect intellectual property rights of authors in digital works and to facilitate the efficient and effective clearance of rights. The increasing availability of a host of information technology standards has the potential to reduce interoperability and interconnectivity. Even with the growth of digitally available government information, for the foreseeable future it will remain important for the federal government to continue providing certain types of information in conventional formats for those Canadians who do not have the technology or skills to access digital content. To better understand the many opportunities and challenges related to digitization activities in the federal arena, the Task Force identified and investigated five research areas, which form the basis of the proposed recommendations:
The proposed recommendations support the Task Force’s vision that advancements in information technology are a means to enhance access to the federally held cultural, economic and scientific collections and information holdings. By strengthening and building upon the existing federal legislative, policy and operational framework, an enabling environment for expanding access to information in digital form will be possible. The objective is to provide a strategic framework to facilitate effective and efficient creation, development and distribution of, and access to, electronic federal information holdings and collections. The recommendations promote the concept that the federal government should act as a model user and catalyst for the creation of, and provision of access to, Canadian content on-line and off-line. As the Information Highway continues to evolve at an increasing pace, the federal government will need to position itself strategically to take advantage of the opportunities and address the challenges of the digital world. Never has there been a greater need to pursue a coordinated and horizontal approach to federal communication and information dissemination responsibilities. Recognizing that Crown corporations, agencies and federal departments have differing mandates and legislative requirements, a cooperative, yet flexible approach to implementing the recommendations will accelerate and support the transition to a knowledge-based economy and society. The response of federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations to the first draft of this report made it clear that the report has met its objectives of defining and clarifying issues and encouraging reflection, debate and action on their implications. While many comments have been reflected in this report, others will need to be addressed in Phase I of the implementation process. Repeatedly, federal institutions expressed their concern about the urgency of addressing the identified issues surrounding digitization, the need for immediate action, and the importance of maintaining the momentum created by the work of the Task Force. This report represents an important starting point on the subject of digitization. With high-level Task Force representation from 21 federal institutions, it reflects the first collective discussions on this topic. These discussions have benefited from the experience and expertise of those federal institutions that have been and are actively making digital information available. But until recently they did not, to the same degree, have the benefit of a collective sharing of ideas and strategies for adapting to the digital world. The challenges of digitization are complex and have far-reaching consequences. These challenges will require more work than was possible to undertake during the short mandate of the Task Force. The Task Force believes that the rewards of digitization are enormous and will benefit Canadians coast to coast to coast, as well as provide new opportunities for government. This report provides the Government of Canada with a framework for action that consolidates and prioritizes the recommendations from the five research areas into three phases. The members of the Task Force urge the Government of Canada to maintain its momentum on digitization initiatives to ensure Canada’s successful transition to a knowledge-based economy and society that reinforces Canada’s cultural and social values.
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