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Canada

Canada’s digital economy performs well on the global stage, particularly in terms of digital infrastructure and innovation capacity. One of the key indicators of this performance is digital adoption. According to the Digital Economy Compass 2022, Canada ranks highly, with a significant percentage of the population utilizing digital services for various activities such as banking, shopping, and entertainment.

In terms of innovation, Canada is ranked 15th in the Global Innovation Index 2023. This ranking reflects the country’s strong innovation ecosystem, which is supported by world-class universities, research institutions, and a favourable policy environment. The combination of these factors fosters an environment conducive to innovation and technological advancement, positioning Canada as a competitive player in the global digital economy.

Internet governance

Internet governance in Canada involves a multifaceted approach that encompasses various policies, regulatory frameworks, and collaborative efforts among governmental bodies, private sector entities, civil society, and international organisations. The governance framework is designed to ensure that the internet remains open, secure, and accessible to all Canadians while fostering innovation and protecting user rights.

Key Institutions and Stakeholders:

Government of Canada: The federal government plays a crucial role in shaping internet governance through departments such as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). These bodies are responsible for creating policies and regulations that ensure the Internet’s accessibility and security.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC): The CRTC regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada. It ensures that Canadian content is available to internet users and that telecommunications services are accessible, competitive, and responsive to user needs.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED): ISED develops policies related to innovation, science, and technology, including those that affect internet infrastructure and services. It aims to foster a competitive and innovative digital economy.

Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA): CIRA manages the .ca domain and contributes to the development of Canada’s internet infrastructure. It also supports initiatives that enhance the security and stability of the internet in Canada.

Private Sector and Civil Society: Internet service providers (ISPs), tech companies, and civil society organisations (CSOs) are essential stakeholders. They engage in policy dialogues, advocate for user rights, and develop technologies that shape internet governance.

Digital strategies

Canada has implemented a comprehensive set of digital strategies to promote innovation, enhance economic growth, and improve the quality of life for its citizens. These strategies encompass various aspects of digital transformation, including digital infrastructure, digital government, digital economy, and digital inclusion.

Canada’s Digital Charter aims to build trust in the digital and data-driven economy by establishing principles that guide digital policy and behaviour. The Charter focuses on ensuring universal access, protecting Canadians from cyber threats, giving individuals control over their data, ensuring transparency in data collection and usage, and promoting open and modern digital government services.

Canada’s Connectivity Strategy seeks to provide high-speed internet access to all Canadians, particularly those in rural and remote areas. This strategy involves significant investment in broadband infrastructure through initiatives like the Universal Broadband Fund, with the goal of achieving universal high-speed internet coverage by 2030. It also emphasises collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, as well as the private sector, to expand connectivity.

The Digital Government Strategy is designed to modernise the delivery of government services, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and efficient through digital transformation. This strategy includes digitalising government services to improve accessibility and efficiency, developing secure digital identity solutions for citizens, and promoting transparency and accountability by making government data and processes open and accessible.

The Innovation and Skills Plan aims to drive economic growth through innovation by supporting businesses and preparing the workforce for the digital economy. Key focus areas of this plan include establishing innovation superclusters to drive collaboration between industry, academia, and government, investing in digital literacy and skills training programs to prepare Canadians for jobs in the digital economy, and providing funding and resources to support the growth of innovative startups and small businesses.

The Data Strategy Roadmap for the Federal Public Service seeks to improve data governance and management within the federal public service, enhancing data-driven decision-making. This involves establishing clear roles and responsibilities for data stewardship across government departments, promoting the sharing of data between departments and with external partners while ensuring privacy and security, and developing the skills and capabilities of public servants to effectively use and manage data.

Cybersecurity

The Canadian government has implemented several strategies, policies, and initiatives to address these challenges, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

Key Policies and Strategies

National Cyber Security Strategy (2018)

The National Cyber Security Strategy outlines Canada’s plan to enhance cybersecurity across the nation. The strategy focuses on three main pillars:

  • Security and Resilience: Enhancing the cybersecurity of government systems, critical infrastructure, and the broader economy.
  • Cyber Innovation: Encouraging the development of advanced cybersecurity technologies and fostering a skilled workforce.
  • Leadership and Collaboration: Promoting national and international partnerships to address cyber threats collectively.

National Cyber Security Action Plan (2019-2024)

This action plan supports the National Cyber Security Strategy by detailing specific initiatives and investments. Key areas include:

  • Enhancing the capabilities of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
  • Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in improving their cybersecurity posture.
  • Investing in cybersecurity research and development.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) is a central authority for cybersecurity within the federal government. It provides advice, guidance, and services to protect Canada’s critical infrastructure and networks. Key functions include:

  • Monitoring cyber threats and coordinating responses.
  • Providing cybersecurity advice and guidance to government departments and private sector organizations.
  • Raising public awareness about cybersecurity threats and best practices.

Critical Infrastructure Protection

Canada’s critical infrastructure, including energy, finance, healthcare, and telecommunications sectors, is a primary focus of cybersecurity efforts. The government collaborates with industry partners to enhance the resilience of these sectors against cyber attacks. Initiatives include:

Legislation and Regulations

Several laws and regulations underpin Canada’s cybersecurity framework, ensuring that organizations adhere to high standards of security and privacy. Notable examples include:

Cybersecurity Awareness and Education

Raising awareness and educating the public and businesses about cybersecurity is a critical component of Canada’s strategy. Initiatives include:

  • Get Cyber Safe: A national public awareness campaign that provides resources and tips to help Canadians protect themselves online.
  • Cyber Security Awareness Month: An annual event in October that promotes cybersecurity awareness and education through various activities and programs.

International Collaboration

Canada recognizes that cybersecurity is a global issue requiring international cooperation. The country actively participates in international forums and collaborates with allies to address cyber threats. Key partnerships include:

  • Five Eyes Alliance: A collaborative effort between Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to share intelligence and coordinate responses to cyber threats.
  • NATO Cyber Defence: Canada contributes to NATO’s efforts to enhance cybersecurity across member states.
AI strategies and policies

Canada is recognized as one of a global leaders in artificial intelligence (AI), boasting a vibrant ecosystem of academic institutions, research centres, startups, and government initiatives. The country’s approach to AI emphasizes ethical considerations, innovation, and collaboration between public and private sectors. Key hubs such as Toronto, Montreal, and Edmonton have become focal points for AI research and development, driving the growth of this transformative technology.

Academic and Research Institutions

Canada is home to some of the world’s leading AI research institutions, which contribute significantly to advancements in AI technology.

  • Vector Institute (Toronto): Focuses on cutting-edge AI research, particularly in deep learning. It collaborates with industry partners to translate research into practical applications.
  • Mila – Quebec AI Institute (Montreal): Led by renowned AI researcher Yoshua Bengio, Mila is a hub for AI research and development, specializing in deep learning and reinforcement learning.
  • Amii – Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Edmonton): Known for its expertise in machine learning and AI, Amii collaborates with businesses to integrate AI into their operations.

2. Government Initiatives

The Canadian government has implemented several initiatives to support the growth and development of AI:

  • Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2017): A $125 million investment to support AI research and talent development across the country. This strategy aims to position Canada as a world leader in AI.
  • Innovation Superclusters Initiative: This initiative includes the SCALE.AI supercluster, focused on applying AI to improve supply chain efficiency. It brings together industry, academia, and government to drive innovation.

3. Startups and Industry

Canada’s AI landscape features a thriving startup ecosystem and active participation from established industries:

  • AI Startups: Canada is home to numerous AI startups that are developing innovative solutions across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and transportation. Companies like Element AI (recently acquired by ServiceNow), BlueDot, and Ada are notable examples.
  • Industry Adoption: Major Canadian companies, including financial institutions and telecommunications firms, are increasingly integrating AI into their operations to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and decision-making processes.

Ethical AI and Regulation

Canada places a strong emphasis on the ethical development and use of AI:

International Collaboration

Canada actively engages in international collaborations to advance AI research and address global challenges:

  • Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI): An international initiative that promotes collaboration on AI projects that respect human rights and democratic values. Canada is one of the founding members.
  • AI4Good: Canada participates in global initiatives that leverage AI for social good, addressing issues such as healthcare, climate change, and sustainable development.
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General profile

Official name: Canada

Source: Wikipedia

National internet domain: CA

Source: Wikipedia

Area: 9,984,670 km2

Source: Wikipedia

Capital: Ottawa

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 38.93 million

Source: Wikipedia

Population growth: 1.8

Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
Source: World Bank Open Data

Life expectancy at birth: 82.6

Total years (2020year) Source: databank.worldbank.org

Rule of law estimate: 1.63

Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate 2021)
Source: databank.worldbank.org

Regulatory quality estimate: 1.6

Regulatory Quality captures perceptions of the ability of the government to formulate and implement sound policies and regulations that permit and promote private sector development. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate 2021)
Source: databank.worldbank.org

Political stability: 0.94

Political Stability and Absence of Violence / Terrorism: measures perceptions of the likelihood that the government will be destabilized or overthrown by unconstitutional or violent means, including politically-motivated violence and terrorism. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate 2021)
Source: databank.worldbank.org

Economic info

Currency: Canadian dollar

Source: Wikipedia

Unemployment: 5.4

Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) Source: databank.worldbank.org

GDP (current US$): 2.1 trillion

Source: databank.worldbank.org

GDP growth (annual %): 3.4

Source: databank.worldbank.org

GDP per capita (current US$): 55,522

Source: databank.worldbank.org

Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 6.8

Source: databank.worldbank.org

GNI (current US$): 2.1 trillion

The Gross National Income, GNI, formerly referred to as gross national product (GNP), measures the total domestic and foreign value added claimed by residents, at a given period in time, usually a year, expressed in current US dollars using the World Bank Atlas method. GNI comprises GDP plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from non-resident sources. Source: databank.worldbank.org

Ease of doing business score: 55.04

The ease of doing business score benchmarked economies concerning their proximity to the best performance in each area measured by Doing Business for the year 2019. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from0 = lowest performance to 100 = best performance Source: databank.worldbank.org
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Digital profile

Internet and social media penetration:

Individuals using the internet: 94 (2022)

Individuals using the internet, total (%) Source: www.itu.int

Social media statistics: 31.90 million

Estimate for 2024
Source: datareportal.com

Male internet users: 95 (2022)

Male internet users as a % of total male population
Source: www.itu.int

Facebook users: 23.00 million

Estimate for 2024
Source: datareportal.com

Female internet users: 95 (2022)

Female Internet users as a % of total female population
Source: www.itu.int

Instagram users: 19.25 million

Estimate for 2024
Source: datareportal.com

Households with internet access at home: 95.3 (2021)

Households with internet access at home (%) Source: www.itu.int

Linkedin users: 24.00 million

Estimate for 2024
Source: datareportal.com

Fixed broadband subscriptions: 43.08 (2022)

Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.
Source: www.itu.int

Twitter users: 14.41 million

Estimate for 2024
Source: datareportal.com

Mobile infrastructure and access:

Mobile ownership: 87.58

Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2022)
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

Mobile Infrastructure: 82.87

Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2022)
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

Male mobile ownership: 86.7 (2017)

Male mobile phone ownership as a % of total male population
Source: www.itu.int

Mobile Affordability: 83.28

Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2022)
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

Female mobile ownership: No data

Female mobile phone ownership as a % of total female population
Source: www.itu.int

Cybersecurity Index: 97.82

Cybersecurity Index (Estimate for 2021): ITU cybersecurity value
Source: www.itu.int

Network performance: 79.41

Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2022)
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

Mobile download speeds: 85.35

Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2022)
Source: Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence

Mobile uploads speeds: 65.98

Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2022)
Source: Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence

Mobile Latencies: 86.91

Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2022)
Source: Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence

Speedtest-Broadband: 84.91

Speedtest-Broadband: The value is expressed in Mbps (Estimate for 2022)
Source: https://www.speedtest.net/global-index

Network coverage:97.47

Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2022)
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

2G Coverage: 99.7

Coverage % of population
Source: www.itu.int

3G Coverage: 99.0

Coverage % of population
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

4G Coverage: 99.0

Coverage % of population
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

5G Coverage: 83

Coverage % of population
Source: https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com/

Operating system and browser market share estimate:

Operating system market share (%):

Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024
Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/

Browser market share (%):

Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024
Source: https://gs.statcounter.com/

Android: 17.48

Chrome: 51.79

Windows: 37.76

Safari: 31.68

iOS: 27.32

Edge: 8.73

OS X: 12.79

Firefox: 3.51

Linunx: 0.96

Samsung Internet: 2.26


The UN E-Government Survey 2022:

The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.
Source:https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Reports/UN-E-Government-Survey-2022

E-Government Rank: 32

Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.
Source: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center

E-Government Index: 0.85

The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.
Source: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center

E-Participation Index: 0.83

The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.
Source: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center

Online Service Index: 0.85

The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.
Source: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-cente

Human Capital Index: 0.93

The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬_x0081_es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.
Source: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center

Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.78

Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.
Source: https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/data-center

ICT information:

ICT skills

Information economy indicators

Individuals with basic ICT skills (%): No data

Source: www.itu.int

Share of ICT goods, % of total exports (value) 1.48 (2021)

Source: https://unctadstat.unctad.org/

Individuals with standard ICT skills (%): No data

Source: www.itu.int

Share of ICT goods, % of total import (value): 7.43 (2021)

Source: https://unctadstat.unctad.org/

Individuals with advanced ICT skills (%): No data

Source: www.itu.int

Most visited website: reddit.com

The survey conducted in 2022 excluded global dominant sites (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, and Google) and search engines (e.g., Yahoo, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Naver, and Yandex) to level the playing field and discount middle-man visits. Likewise, it did not include adult, betting, illegal streaming/downloading services, and malicious websites.
Source: https://www.hostinger.com/tutorials/the-most-visited-website-in-every-country

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