The Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable

Press Release

OTTAWA, January 17, 2000 - The Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable was formed in mid-1999 to develop a strategy for accelerating Canada's participation in the Internet economy. Its goal was to establish Canada as a globally recognized e-business leader to promote a higher quality of life for our citizens through economic growth, job creation and more convenient access to information, goods and services.

Recognizing that Canada was well-positioned but not well-prepared to participate in the Internet economy, BCG Canada proposed the formation of the E-Business Opportunities Roundtable and received the full support of the federal government in launching this effort. Under the joint direction of BCG and Nortel Networks, the Roundtable has been a voluntary private sector-led initiative in which the public sector has been a full and equal partner.

The Roundtable's work was guided by a sense of urgency. Canada is well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities offered by e-business, but is not aggressively rising to the challenge. Canada faces a choice. We can capitalize fully and quickly on the e-business opportunity or remain complacent with our modest success and risk falling behind other advanced economies. We can make e-business a sustainable engine of growth and jobs for the Canadian economy or we can hesitate and watch many of our best ideas and people migrate to more hospitable environments. In short, we can lead or lag. The Roundtable's goal is to inspire Canadian businesses to choose leadership and to chart a course that will take them there.

The Roundtable began its deliberations with an assessment of the e-business opportunities and impediments facing Canada. After several months of research, analysis, consultation and discussion, the Roundtable produced "Fast Forward: Accelerating Canada's Leadership in the Internet Economy", with five broad objectives in mind:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of e-business in Canada;
• To present a compelling vision for the development of Canada's Internet economy, including aggressive targets and opportunities for global leadership;
• To identify strategies for industry, the educational sector and government to realize this vision;
• To inspire Canadian business to approach the opportunities presented by the Internet with a sense of urgency;
• To persuade Canadian governments and regulators that facilitating the development of Canada's Internet economy should be a priority.

The works of the Roundtable speaks to a wide audience of Canadian thought leaders and decision makers in the business, government and educational communities. It is for current and potential participants in the Internet economy - a group that includes not only pure Internet businesses, but also the hardware suppliers, service and content providers, software developers, financiers and professional service providers that support those businesses. It includes existing Canadian businesses and institutions, large and small, across all sectors, which can embrace the Internet as a new way to do business more rapidly, efficiently, and profitably.