Canada's journey to an information society

A new compendium is now available that paints a thorough and up-to-date picture of Canada's information society, including the evolving information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

The publication Canada's journey to an information society pulls together a variety of data and analyses from different sources within Statistics Canada into one comprehensive report. Building on the first compendium, Networked Canada: Beyond the information highway (56-504-XIE) and the ongoing Connectedness Series (56F0004MIE), this volume traces the evolution of the economy and highlights many facets of Canada's transformation into an information society.

Produced under Statistics Canada's Connectedness program, the new compendium examines the growth and performance of the ICT sector, including key indicators of change. It also offers analysis on the changes taking place in individual industries that supply ICT goods and services.

The report goes on to address economy-wide issues by sector, and covers ICT diffusion and use among business and households and governments, including in the health, education and justice sectors.

The compendium further presents a collection of thematic articles on topical issues of the information society, such as the high-tech labour market, the digital divide, broadband use and deployment, and how cultural industries use ICTs.

Finally, Canada's international involvement in the information society is examined through contributions from policy departments on Canada's role in promoting a global information society, with particular emphasis on assistance to developing countries.

Canada's journey to an information society, 1997 to 2002 (56-508-XIE, free) is now available online. From the Our products and services page, under Browse our Internet publications, choose Free, then Communications.

For more information, contact Ben Veenhof (613-951-5067) or Lucienne Sabourin (613-951-2581), Science, Innovation and Electronic Information Division.