[Advisors] Our submission -- prebudget consultation

[Marita Moll]

In the end, I sent this as an e-mail rather than answering the questions 
directly on their site.  This way we had a chance to say who we were.  I 
will ask Ian if he would put this on our website.

Marita

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	2016 Pre-Budget Consultations
Date: 	Sun, 24 Jan 2016 16:48:19 -0500
From: 	Marita Moll <mmoll at ca.inter.net>
To: 	fin.2016pbc-cpb2016.fin at canada.ca



To: The Hon. Bill Morneau
Minister of Finance

Dear Sir:

Telecommunities Canada, established in 1993, is a community of practice 
about the uses of online networks for community development. Together 
with like-minded groups, our goal is to connect theory, policy and 
practice in ways that expand and improve the ability of communities to 
design their own future. Below please find our responses to your 
questions posed on the 2016 budget consultations website:

1. In your opinion how can we better support our middle class?

A national digital economy strategy is a vital part of federal policy 
that has been allowed to languish for too long. All Canadians will be 
supported by a commitment to return to a leadership role in this sector. 
Growing evidence supports the connection between household income, jobs, 
and modern information and communications infrastructure. As Prime 
Minister Trudeau said in his speech to the Davos meetings, Canadians are 
resourceful. But to harness that resourcefulness, the government must 
lead with a digital strategy that will build capacity for social and 
economic innovation at the community level.

We urge the new liberal government to show leadership in this area by 
acknowledging the following key points:

i) ICT and digital literacy are today's most powerful catalysts for 
social and economic innovation, and Canada is falling behind;

ii) Ample, accessible and affordable broadband has become essential to 
supporting such innovation;

iii) A world-class digital strategy has become essential to maintaining 
Canada's social and cultural relevance and economic competitiveness.

2. What infrastructure needs can best help grow the economy, protect our 
environment and meet your priorities locally?

Economic growth in the 21st century cannot occur without 21st-century 
tools. A program to support community-driven access and education 
initiatives across the country would help ensure prosperity is both deep 
and wide throughout the country. An effective national digital economy 
strategy will recognize that local/ municipal / community ownership of 
broadband infrastructure as a public utility is the only route to 
ensuring that communities are "smart" enough to take charge of their own 
digital futures. Over the years, this kind of initiative has created 
jobs and brought new businesses to many areas at very little cost. The 
government must improve Canada's communications infrastructure and 
facilitate access, use, and skills in this area by committing to 
effective broadband from coast to coast to coast that supports a full 
range of communications applications.

3. How can we create economic growth, protect the environment and meet 
local priorities while ensuring that the most vulnerable don't get left 
behind.

Social innovation is the principal catalyst for improving economic 
inclusion and advancing economic innovation. The most effective role for 
government is to inspire and support community-level leadership in 
social innovation, especially innovation that leads to greater economic 
inclusion and participation on the part of youth.

Investment should focus on leadership and initiatives that foster 
collaborative engagement of schools, businesses, local government and 
the community at large in meeting the present and future economic needs 
of the community.

National programs that provide access, education, and support for the 
effective use of new communications technologies in communities should 
be considered essential investments that generate demand and build human 
capacity to meet that demand. Reintroduction and expansion of support 
for public access programs will boost local economies by encouraging 
Canadians to use new technologies for community development and by 
offering collaborative tools. When Canadian communities suffer because 
of major job losses, these programs help provide support in an economic 
downturn.


4. Is the implementation of these new priorities and initiatives 
realistic? Will it help us grow our economy?

Affordable high-speed internet access is an indispensable asset for the 
economic health of communities of all sizes. It attracts businesses, 
encourages local entrepreneurship, and maintains high standards in 
education and health services, all of which support local 
sustainability. Some of the funds earmarked for infrastructure spending 
in this budget should be channeled into designing and implementing a 
digital strategy and into extending rural and remote connectivity programs.

Supporting projects that lead to municipally owned fibre as an open 
public utility will ensure that a community can use ICT to bootstrap 
local development and to practice digital inclusion techniques so that 
everyone benefits from the changes.

The federal government should work with provincial authorities to 
encourage the development of a digitally literate population, and the 
Minister of Employment, Workforce and Labour should review policies and 
programs to ensure that priority is given to training in digital skills.

Thanks for the opportunity to contribute.

Marita Moll
for Telecommunities Canada
www.tc.ca


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