There are 166 provincial and territorial delegates registered, there are 17 delegates from municipalities. There are over a dozen nominations for innovation awards from the provinces, territories and municipalities. Municipal governments are the closest to the daily preoccupation of citizens and therefore their participation would be key to the success of this effort. There is so much we could do together. Third , governments should show leadership to ease the transition toward a knowledge-based society.
Governments are the owner and the operator of many information systems.
They are the users of many more. Government can also play a leadership role that could help accelerate the transformation of the Canadian society, set an example and help Canadians to adjust to the use of information technology. It is not easy to be leader, it requires that governments continuously adjust their role to focus on the areas of highest need. Let me explain, for the public interest to be well served, governments do not need to do it all. As the Canadians society becomes more mature, others are able and willing to take on more responsibilities.