GLOBAL INFORMATION SOCIETY

“We will support public and private efforts to increase the use of information and communication technologies for development and encourage international organizations to assess the appropriate role which they can play."

Grade: +1

Analysis:

In early December 1996, Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy announced the creation of a national partnership to build a Canadian International Information Strategy (CIIS). CIIS is a government-wide approach being developed under the leadership of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in conjunction with the private sector to reach foreign markets more effectively, convey Canada's messages abroad, influence international audiences, and employ new information technology. Through the use of modern technologies such as satellite transmission and electronic networks, the Strategy aims to establish a permanent, technically advanced, and cost-effective presence that will carry Canada's message to the world well into the 21st century.

CIIS will allow for new information technologies to be used as tools to achieve Canadian foreign-policy goals. Canada's public and private sectors are already using the full range of communications technologies to reach out to the world in the fields of education, development assistance, human rights, and the cultural industry. In the NGO sector, for instance, the International Development Research Organization (IDRC) has advanced the progress of information technologies and information networks for development. In addition, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funds information-technology and distance-learning related projects around the globe, from Africa to Asia.

CIIS will facilitate the process of articulating the principle Canadian themes and messages to international audiences such as democracy, respect for human rights, tolerance, as well as, bilingualism, multiculturalism, respect for diversity, the rule of law, a market economy moderated by unifying social programmes, and flexible federalism. As one of the most wired and high-tech nations in the world, Minister Axworthy has argued that Canada is well placed to wield "soft power" and to act as a knowledge broker.

The first main aim of CIIS involves the establishment of a comprehensive approach to project abroad information about Canada. This approach will entail both selling the structures (that is, the hardware and software) and spreading the content (that is, Canadian values). Therefore, by strategically using this information and by influencing other countries through the presentation of attractive models and ideas, Canada has the capacity to exert political, economic, and cultural influence. The second aim of the Strategy will involve the usage of new information technology as a tool to fulfil Canada's foreign-policy goals. These technologies possess great potential for addressing human rights abuses or international crime - areas where the rapid international exchange of information is essential. Moreover, these technologies can help establish free media to counter hate propaganda, bolster democracy, and reduce the likelihood of conflict in troubled regions. Most importantly, CIIS will become a significant focus of Canada's development-assistance efforts.