For Canada, access to the Information Highway and to the technologies it represents, is a priority of public policy, as expressed in what we have called our Connecting Canadians agenda. Using a number of measures, and with the help of private sector partners, we have been moving very quickly, seeking to provide meaningful access to all Canadians, wherever they may live and whatever their financial means may be. This past March, we completed the task of connecting all of public schools and libraries to the Net. In addition, our Community Access Program will provide Internet access to all communities with more than 400 people - a formidable achievement for a country as large as Canada, with its many remote communities. I make this point about access, because it is important to recall that half the world's population has yet to make a phone call, much less participate in electronic commerce.
Access provides the means to participate in the digital marketplace.
However, this will translate into a real opportunity for business only if we are also able to fulfill a second necessary condition - that of ensuring public confidence in the benefits and opportunities of the electronic marketplace. Perhaps, to some extent, but Canadians with Internet access are primarily concerned about the security of credit card information, far ahead of other perceived barriers. Concern among Canadians, in general, is even more widespread. Four out of five would be unwilling to give their credit card number over the Internet to purchase a product or service. September 6, 1999.