OTTAWA – On February 6, 2001 Industry Canada announced the inaugural meeting of the G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force (G8 dot force) Canadian Advisory Committee.
The G8 dot force was established by the G8 leaders at their last summit,
held in Okinawa, Japan, in July 2000. It will promote discussion and raise
awareness of the international digital divide, consider views and inputs
from the international community, and report its findings and activities to
the Genoa G8 Summit in July 2001. The overall goal of the G8 dot force is
to reach out to developing countries and develop an action plan which
responds to their needs.
The G8 dot force Canadian Advisory Committee was set up to support the work
of the Canadian representatives on the G8 dot force, as well as serve as a
mechanism for consultation on issues relating to the Okinawa Charter on
Global Information Technology and the work of the G8 dot force.
Canadian representatives on the dot force and the co-chairs of its Canadian
Advisory Committee are: Mr. V. Peter Harder, Industry Canada Deputy
Minister, Mr. Charles Sirois, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Telesystem Ltd., and Ms. Maureen O’Neil, President of the International
Development Research Center.
Canada is recognized world-wide for its policy leadership and the excellence
of its information networks, connectivity and electronic commerce. With the
help of the advisory committee, Canada’s dot force representatives will
apply some successful Canadian ideas to the development challenges faced by
other countries.
