Canadian Library Association National Forum: Readings for Digital Strategy and the Government of Canada

I'll be attending upcoming Canadian Library Association National Forum, a kind of sunset conference as CLA reimagines and recreates itself. The idea is to take the pulse of Canadian librarians on the important issues in the library-related landscape. I'll be curating the session on Canada's National Digital Strategy, including presentations by me and two others, Emily Landriault and Bobby Glushko.

The details are below.

Digital Strategy and the Government of Canada

Presentation speakers

• Emily Landriault: Open Government and Open Data
• Bobby Glushko: Cyberbullying and Doxing
• John Dupuis: Introduction to Canada's Digital Strategy

Date: Wednesday June 1st
Time: 3:30PM to 5:00 PM
Room: Joliet

Description:

An Introduction to Canada’s National Digital Strategy

Government digital strategy encompasses a wide range of topics, from fostering digital innovation, to open government data, to privacy and security legislation, to telecommunications policy, to cyberbullying prevention, and Canadian content regulations. Over the last few years of their mandate, the previous Conservative government put policies in place in many of those areas, with their high level strategy outlined in the Digital Canada 150 document.

• Where will the new Liberal government take us?
• Are there any hints as to what their digital strategy might be?
• What previous initiatives will be discontinued and what new initiatives will be created?

Come to this interactive session where expert panelists will touch on a few of the most important areas of Canada’s digital strategy as well as engaging participants in a conversation about how the library community could both move forward on some initiatives of our own as well as influence the government’s direction.

The format of the session with be three 15 minute presentations by the speakers, a short Q&A (10 minutes), followed by individual group discussions at the tables (20 minutes) and finally, the groups reporting back to the room (15 minutes).

Some questions to spark the group discussions:

• What are the most important digital strategy issues and priorities affecting libraries?
• Where are our priorities diverging from the government's?
• How should libraries, librarians and library associations advocate for change?
• What opportunities can we seize or create?
• What should we advocate for?
• What outcomes are we looking for?

I'll also note what is out of scope in my session: topics that will be covered by other sessions at the National Forum: Copyright, Digitization and other issues related to Library and Archives Canada.

I've written a bit about the Digital Canada 150 policy document here and here. Also relevant and useful are the Ministerial Mandate Letters for the ministers of Heritage, Innovation and Science, all of which are available here.

Digital Canada 150 from 2014 is the closest we have to an active National Digital Strategy, so I'm using the structure of that document to frame my own thoughts and research. Below I have some of the readings I've done to prepare for the session.

I hope to see you there! The hashtag is #CLAOtt16. I'll post my slides once the conference is over.

The Five Pillars of Digital Canada 150

1. Connecting Canadians (CRTC/Cable TV/Broadband/Wireless Policy)

• Leadership Sorely Needed on Canada's Broadband Strategy
• Budget 2016: Is It The End of a Canadian Digital Strategy?
• Rejecting Bell’s broadband fight sends a clear signal: The full policy remains a mystery, but developments over the past two weeks suggest that a major change in approach is unlikely.
• CRTC flooded with complaints about new $25 skinny basic TV package
• Bell appeals CRTC ruling forcing company to sell fibre internet access to small ISPs
• Why Mayors John Tory and Jim Watson Are Against Competition for Access to Affordable Fast Broadband
• Broadband internet speeds in Canada as fast as advertised, CRTC finds
• CRTC unveils map of broadband services in Canada
• CRTC chair makes strong call for national broadband strategy
• FCM urges increase in rural broadband access at CRTC hearings
• Unexpected speech from CRTC Chair may signal a change in mood during #TalkBroadband hearing
• Tories’ broadband sell-off hiking wireless prices, says report
• Ottawa’s wireless industry meddling failed consumers, reports finds
• Telecom transparency reporting guidelines need clarity: Geist
• Broadband Spectrum Sell-Off Might Have Made Canadian Wireless Bills More Pricey: Report
• Telecommunications: Ottawa should not intervene in the broadband Internet sector as it has in the wireless sector
• $25 'skinny' TV packages called a 'ripoff' as industry 'stares down' CRTC
• Kate Taylor: Forcing pick-and-pay TV was a bad move by the CRTC
• Wireless rates rise with hikes in internet, home phone ahead
• Tell the CRTC: All Canadians Deserve Faster, Cheaper Internet Service
• CRTC Announces First Recipients of Prizes for Academic Research

2. Protecting Canadians (Cyberbullying/Security/Privacy/Anti-Spam) (Mostly Bobby speaking to this)

• The federal government is selective with its protection of privacy
• Don’t breach encryption warns privacy watcher
• Encryption is crucial to our privacy and freedom
• Why nobody should bet on Trudeau 'fixing' C-51
• Liberals planning swift overhaul of controversial Anti-terrorism Act, or Bill C-51
• Interview: Trudeau defends his Anti-Terrorism Act stance
• U.S. takeover of network carrying sensitive federal data raises security concerns
• Five big challenges for our digital rights in 2016
• Are Trudeau's promised reforms to Bill C-51 ever coming?
• Parliamentary Privacy Committee needs to strengthen Canada's weak privacy protection legislation

3. Economic Opportunities (Innovation/Productivity/Big Data/Intellectual Property Laws, Canada Research Excellence Fund/NRC Transformation/CFI/CANARIE Digital Accelerator/MITACS)

• An innovation strategy, please
• TPP would be disastrous for Canada's innovators, Jim Balsillie warns
• The Trouble With the TPP, Day 50: The Case Against Ratifying the Trans Pacific Partnership
• Canadian civil servants grooming new minister to repeat Harper's Internet mistakes
• Canada’s Big Election Issue: The Netflix Tax
• Netflix Taxes and Canadian Digital Issues in the Election Spotlight
• A Made-In-Canada Innovation Strategy: Vital To Harnessing The 4th Industrial Revolution
• Fairness Confirmed: Copyright Board Deals Another Blow to Access Copyright
• NRC 'solutions' rebranding quietly dropped without explanation
• Veitch: Why we still need the National Research Council
• Toope: Here's how we can improve decision-making in the federal government
• Confusion, secrecy reign inside the National Research Council
• ‘Same-old’ innovation policies won’t do: Editorial: If Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains’s ‘innovation agenda’ turns out to be just an updated version of long-established policies, he will have fallen short.
• Canada's 'innovation agenda' isn't just tech -- it's social
• Navdeep Bains – The Innovation Agenda – Empire Club

4. Digital Government (Open Government/Open Data/Open Access/Access to Information) (Emily speaking to this and provide some of the readings)

• Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government
• Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) Progress Report 2014-2015: Canada / Open Government Partnership
• Directive on Open Government
• Government proposals to revitalize access to information
• My presentation on Open Science/Open Data in the government of Canada
• Federal government lagging on online services, documents warn
• Liberals issue openness directive, scrap most Access to Information fees
• 'Open data': Why it's making waves across Canada
• Federal government lagging on online services, documents warn
• The federal government is selective with its protection of privacy
• Federal ‘unmuzzling’ has gone beyond government scientists with scrapping of Harper-era system
• What you need to know about the return of the long-form census

5. Canadian Content (Digitization/LAC & Historica & Canadiana.org/NFB Digitization/CRTC/Canadian Content Rules)

• Cancon and regulation: now more than ever: Salutin
• CLA Statement of Transpacific Partnership
• The Trouble With the TPP, Day 29: Cultural Policy Innovation Uncertainty
• Forget a Netflix tax. Here's how to shake up Canada’s culture: Geist
• Digital Cancon fight could end up as new whine in old bottles: Geist
• Canada’s cultural policies will be adapted for the digital age, says heritage minister
• John Doyle: Welcome to a new nightmare in Cancon policy
• Free advice for Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly
• Have Your Say in Shaping the Future of Canadian Arts Policy
• Canada Council's strategic plan includes a new fund for creation; more cash for indigenous arts and an emphasis on digital technologies
• Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly urges change at CBC, CRTC to boost Canadian content in digital age
• Heritage minister Mélanie Joly under pressure to protect Quebec television
• Canadian Heritage gives bureaucrats more power over arts funding
• Blowing up the system to save it: Canada’s digitally savvy Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly wants to yank the country’s media business into the twenty-first century. But as Simon Houpt writes, digital disruption has a way of outpacing government policy

As usual, if I've missed anything important, please let me know in the comments.