[Advisors] Report of meeting -- InCan - Dec. 8

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:58:23 -0500

We are with you !

Monique

Le 2011-12-14 =E0 13:52, Thompson, Darlene a =E9crit :

> I think I can get support from Leona Aglukark in Nunavut..
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> Let me see.
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> D
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> Darlene A. Thompson
> CAP Administrator
> N-CAP/Department of Education
> P.O. Box 1000, Station 910
> Iqaluit, NU  X0A 0H0
> Phone:  (867) 975-5631
> Fax:  (867) 975-5610
> dthompson@gov.nu.ca
> ________________________________________
> From: advisors-admin@tc.ca [advisors-admin@tc.ca] on behalf of Norah =
Fountain [norah@creativehouse.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 8:46 AM
> To: Work; Marita Moll
> Cc: advisors@tc.ca
> Subject: Re: [Advisors] Report of meeting -- InCan - Dec. 8
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> A Rural Caucus might lend support - it used to exist.
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> On 13/12/11 8:18 AM, "Work" <pframpton@lefca.org> wrote:
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>> That is great news indeed
>> Now for the champion
>> It only takes one or two backbenchers
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>> In Ontario we used the women caucus to save Childcare a few years =
ago...?
>> Does harper have caucuses?
>>=20
>> Meeting with glen Murray on Friday (liberal - sigh) but will seek his =
advice
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>> Paf
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>> Sent from my iPad
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>> On 2011-12-12, at 8:16 PM, Marita Moll <mmoll@ca.inter.net> wrote:
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>>> Report of the meeting at Industry Canada, December 8, 2011.
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>>> Participants:
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>>> Bruce Winchester, head policy advisor to the Minister of Industry
>>> Marita Moll, Telecommunities Canada
>>> Darlene Thompson, Telecommunities Canada and the Government of =
Nunavut
>>> Monique Chartrand, Communautique
>>> Patrick Dub=E9, Communautique & Living Labs
>>>=20
>>> This meeting was scheduled to last about 45 minutes.  In fact, it =
lasted
>>> almost two hours =AD a huge amount of one-on-one time with someone =
at that
>>> level. We are not sure what it was in our letter that piqued his =
curiosity.
>>> He did indicate that he usually only met with the big players =AD =
Bell, Rogers,
>>> etc.
>>>=20
>>> Mr. Winchester was extraordinarily candid with us.  This was =
certainly not a
>>> session in which we were listened to politely, patted on the head =
and sent on
>>> our way. =46rom the beginning, he engaged with us constantly at the =
very
>>> practical level =AD sometimes even trying to draw us into =
conversations about
>>> other current online issues we were not there to talk about =AD e.g. =
 broadband
>>> in rural communities, the value of satellite connections, the =
economy in
>>> northern areas, etc.  But we had assumed correctly that presenting =
well
>>> documented projects with proven economic value would be the only way =
to hold
>>> the attention of someone in this government.
>>>=20
>>> On the negative side, he was quite clear about how the department =
felt about
>>> this program =AD it didn=B9t belong there, it was outside of the =
mandate, etc.
>>> etc.  He volunteered that the department had tried to get the =
regional
>>> development agencies to take it over =AD but that these agencies had =
declined
>>> to take on what they called an =B3unfunded mandate.=B2 One of the =
first things he
>>> said was =B3You=B9ve got to lose that name, for starters!=B2  There =
were some
>>> suggestions that the lingering perception of this program was that =
it was
>>> more of a social service than an economic driver.  We said that we =
were there
>>> to change that =AD to tell some of the stories that rarely made it =
to his
>>> level.  Darlene Thompson and Patrick Dub=E9, who spoke about =
northern projects
>>> and the =B3living labs=B2 experiments in Montreal respectively were =
right on
>>> their game. And Mr. Winchester became more and interested in the
>>> possibilities that were presented.
>>>=20
>>> One of the lasting comments, for me, was =B3You folks need a =
champion.=B2  Of
>>> course, he wasn=B9t volunteering to take that on.  It was pretty =
clear to us
>>> that the department had no intention of renewing this program.  So =
that
>>> leaves the question, why did he meet with us at all?
>>>=20
>>> Perhaps our good news stories are getting out there.  Even this =
government
>>> needs good news stories =AD small, innovative, creative, locally =
generated
>>> projects.
>>>=20
>>> The meeting ended on a positive note.  Darlene had brought pre-print =
copies
>>> of the book of exemplary projects she has been working on with =
Clarice for
>>> the last few years.  I also had a copy of a booklet of short (one =
pager) CAP
>>> stories.  So we left him with some tangible evidence.
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>>> Final comments:  We do think a spark may have been ignited =AD we =
are not sure
>>> how to keep it going.
>>>=20
>>> Marita, Darlene, Monique and Patrick.
>>>=20
>>>=20
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Advisors mailing list
>>> Advisors@tc.ca
>>> http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors
>> _______________________________________________
>> Advisors mailing list
>> Advisors@tc.ca
>> http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/advisors
>>=20
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> --
> Norah Fountain
> Communications Specialist
> Your message is my life=B9s work.
> T: 705.762.2122
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> Advisors mailing list
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