And to establish or renew a community you must labour together towards a common purpose. Nowhere has this proven truer than along the vast imaginative frontier of cyberspace that now borders us on all sides. Canada takes the information highway seriously. A nation forged into existence by a rail link covering thousands of nearly empty kilometres could not miss the metaphoric significance. But if millions of pioneers had not filled the empty spaces and struggled to load the trains with the bounty of their efforts, the railway would have signified nothing.
Mutual understanding takes work.
Nation building is not easy or simple. Collaboration Canada will be an Internet enabled forum for Canadians representing a multiplicity of viewpoints to engage in facilitated discussion about Canada, its people and system of government. Furthermore, because Collaboration Canada forum discussions will be focused, facilitated and supported by subject matter experts, participation is encouraged and the likelihood of productively concluded conversations greatly increased. We believe it is the purposeful process of collaboration that we and our partners, will facilitate, which will make the difference. At the end of the day, Collaboration Canada will engender a shared understanding of issues, real trust and wisdom.