{"id":8804,"date":"2015-11-05T05:27:58","date_gmt":"2015-11-05T10:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=8804"},"modified":"2015-11-04T22:13:48","modified_gmt":"2015-11-05T03:13:48","slug":"momentum-for-digital-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=8804","title":{"rendered":"Momentum for digital inclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I wrote about “Digital disparities<\/a>“, looking at a recent study that examined how household income impacts access to digital media and technology.<\/p>\n

For years now, I have been writing and speaking<\/a> about the need for Canada to turn its attention to addressing the need to get connected computers into low income households with school aged children. About 5 years ago, I estimated that we needed one million computers<\/a> in order to address what the FCC is calling a “homework gap”.<\/p>\n

Canada’s digital divide is primarily a problem with adoption, not supply. There are far too many people, primarily in our lowest income quintiles, who can’t afford a computer, let alone broadband service, despite living in Canada’s biggest urban centres.<\/p>\n

I am encouraged to see that digital economy issues will fall under Canada’s new Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains. And, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is also taking responsibility for Youth.<\/p>\n

And we have a Cabinet Committee<\/a> that may find such a program to be interesting: Cabinet Committee on Inclusive Growth, Opportunities and Innovation, with responsibilities to “consider strategies designed to promote inclusive economic growth, opportunity, employment and social security, including sectoral strategies and initiatives. Responsible for initiatives that will strengthen and grow the middle class.”<\/p>\n

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Cabinet Committee on Inclusive Growth, Opportunities and Innovation<\/em>
\nChair: The Hon. Jane Philpott [Health]
\nVice-Chair: The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos [Families, Children and Social Development]<\/p>\n

Members\/Membres<\/p>\n