foreign ownership

In June 2010, the government released a consultation paper which asked Canadians to comment on the possible impacts of increased foreign direct investment in the Canadian telecommunications sector. [2] While the paper clearly promoted potential economic benefits, the potential risks, which would not be confined to economic impacts, were absent from the analysis. This article briefly looks at the issue of increased foreign ownership on the telecommunications sector from the perspective of national sovereignty and security.

Security threats move online

Submission to the Federal Consultation on Options for Foreign Investment Restrictions in the Telecommunications Sector

Summary: The area of sovereignty and national security needs to be addressed well before any attempt is made to change those sections of the Telecommunications Act which protect Canadian ownership of telecommunications interests. There are many models of telecommunications ownership which should be considered beyond the three offered in the consultation paper.

by Marita Moll

For some time, Canadians from all sectors have been concerned about the lack of a national digital strategy. Numerous international studies have shown that our digital infrastructure and policy environment is lagging behind that of other developed nations. This stalls our economy and negatively affects productivity. Finally, on May 10, Canadians were invited to participate in a six week online consultation. Through a special website, participants could post ideas and position papers and/or vote for ideas they supported – creating a bit of competitive energy among a somewhat limited audience already comfortable with this kind of process.