Canadians deserve to participate in informed conversation on privacy, surveillance
HALIFAX, N.S.—A multi-year conversation about privacy and surveillance is finally coming to a head, and it may be one of the defining issues of our time. This is a pivotal aspect of the relationship between citizens and the state, and Canadians have a right to sufficient information about the government’s activities to contribute to […]
Canada’s newest resource is flexible, sustainable, potentially unlimited
Although largely invisible to most of us, a new commodity is fast assuming a central place in Canadian markets: information. As the amount and variety of data covering all aspects of planetary existence increase exponentially―along with our capacity to store, retrieve and analyze that data―we stand at the threshold of unbridled access to vast […]
Feds have an eight-track strategy in a fibre-optic world
As with most ideas announced by the Harper Conservatives these days, the government’s approach to the management of information technology, digital innovation and Canada’s reputation as a global tech leader, can hardly be described as state-of-the-art. It is more aptly described as an eight-track strategy in a fibre-optic world. After all, when the Harper […]
Canada desperately needs to update its laws for digital era
New technologies are allowing Canadians’ most personal information to be collected, stored, shared, and stolen in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Cyber-bullying, the distribution of intimate images, identity theft, and increased government surveillance, have become major issues of public concern. Some 71 per cent of Canadians think that protecting personal […]
Connecting more Canadians with high-speed
On a brisk winter evening in February 2013 I spoke to a group of e-commerce entrepreneurs at a restaurant—just a few steps from the Hill. Pointing to the recommendations of a study prepared by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology after hearing testimony from 33 expert witnesses, I noted that improving the […]
Shared Services Canada ‘disappointed’ with Bell’s email contract delay
Shared Services Canada’s email consolidation program, slated to begin in March has still yet to get underway and the government’s new mega-IT department says it’s because Bell, contracted to undertake the initiative, has been slow to the draw. “Bell has not yet been able to meet the committed project deadlines,” said Ted Francis, the […]
Supreme Court online privacy ruling not reflected in cyber crime bill moving through House, say critics
Discontent over the Conservative government’s use of time allocation followed House Leader Peter Van Loan’s motion to limit further debate on the government’s controversial cyberbullying and surveillance legislation, which came despite critics calling for more time to consider a Supreme Court ruling that could affect the bill. Bill C-13, the Protecting Canadians from Online […]
Biotechnology
Farmers’ seeds at centre of a debate over Agricultural Growth Act
Farmers’ seeds are at the centre of a debate over Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act. Proponents say this will align Canada with its international trade partners and allow for more private innovation in food biotechnology, while opponents say it will restrict farmers’ rights to save their seeds and place ownership in the hands […]
Doctors, researchers consider Orphan Drug Act ‘mission critical’
Despite having a late start in helping people with rare diseases access orphan drugs, Canada is now exceeding and becoming a world leader in some aspects in this field, particularly in genome studies, according to some in the field. According to the government, a rare disease is a life-threatening, seriously debilitating, or serious chronic condition […]
