foreign ownership

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.