Canadian Digital Information Strategy

The Digital Strategy

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Part IV: Conclusion

The goal of the Canadian Digital Information Strategy is to enable more of Canada's rich cultural heritage, its scientific information and research data, and the body of information emanating from its governments-all of which are fast becoming digital-to be managed, available, known, and used, now and into the future, for societal and economic benefit.

The shift to the digital realm is the most significant change to information production and dissemination since the advent of the printing press in the 15th Century. Given the scale of the transformation, it is inevitable that a range of challenges would arise and that they would take some time and some concerted effort to sort out. This Strategy addresses three major challenges: to strengthen production, to ensure preservation, and to maximize access and use.

Those involved with the development of this Strategy believe that if we apply a combination of will, clarity of vision, collaborative effort across sectors and jurisdictions, and investment from both private and public sectors, we can make Canada the most information rich and information literate country in the world. If we are successful in identifying, valuing and preserving our digital information assets, we can use these assets to educate our youth, to foster a common cultural identity and pride in our accomplishments, and to create new knowledge and new products that advance our economy. If we provide ubiquitous and democratic information access for all Canadians, we will support our common goal to live in an inclusive and progressive society.

Increasingly, information is digital. The volume of born-digital content is already enormous will continue to grow in scale and complexity. National borders do not exist in the digital world and Canadian content creators must compete in a truly amorphous global market. The challenge of ensuring that there is and continues to be an abundance of Canadian digital content is achievable, but our success will be determined in large measure by how well we choose to collaborate across sectors and jurisdictions, and how often we find ways to learn from each other and adapt consistent models and approaches that contribute to a strong national digital information environment. The effort will benefit from diverse input. And ultimately, all Canadians will benefit from being able to exploit an information-rich environment to contribute to our culture, society and economy.

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