Responsible Recovery
Thanks for joining us in the 15th issue of the Digital Policy Salon newsletter.
Timely tech policy is our focus this week. In this issue, we take a look at moves from Canadian policymakers to focus on privacy, security, and responsible AI. One of our perspective pieces highlights the ongoing conversation around facial recognition technologies, while the other takes a look a Canadian company using AI to provide early warning of epidemics such as COVID-19.
As a complement to our research and policy team’s work on responsible innovation, we also highlight our most recent whitepaper this week: Economic Resiliency in the Face of Adversity. Read the paper for an update on the Canadian economy, as well as a synthesis of important policy recommendations for an inclusive, green, and vibrant economic recovery. In addition, don’t forget to check out our upcoming special event where whitepaper authors, including ICTC President and CEO Namir Anani, will be building upon the paper’s foundation in a digital panel.
- Tyler and Faun
COVID-19 Policy Updates 🇨🇦
Québec introduces new privacy legislation
Québec introduced new privacy legislation earlier this month. Among other things, if passed, the legislation would establish new rules to:
- Prevent the transfer of personal data from Québec to other legal jurisdictions that don’t have the same level of data protection;
- Make privacy impact assessments mandatory for any IT system that uses personal data; and
- Give Québec’s privacy authority enhanced enforcement powers, including the ability to fine organizations up to $25 million or 4% of their global profit.
New legislation would also introduce new data rights for Québec residents, including the right to be informed when subject to automated decision making, and the right to be forgotten.
SpaceX applies to provide high-speed internet in Canada
US aerospace company SpaceX applied to the CRTC last week to begin providing high-speed internet access to Canadians. SpaceX hopes to use satellite internet to close the digital divide experienced by northern and rural communities. In 2018, just 40% of rural, Canadian households had access to high-speed internet — with speeds of at least 50 megabits per second — and today, many of these households are struggling to adapt to new work and learn from home environments because of their internet quality.
Government confirms new contact tracing app
The Canadian Digital Service and Ontario Digital Service, two government organizations, are teaming up with Blackberry and Shopify to develop a contact tracing app for Canada. The app will be piloted in Ontario as early as July 2nd before being rolled out across the country.
Health equality advocates specializing in the digital divide have highlighted concerns over whether the solution will be accessible to those most impacted by the disease. Canadians over the age of 60 account for 95% of all COVID-19 related deaths in Canada, but are also less likely to own a smartphone.
Canada and Québec move on responsible AI
ISED recently announced the opening of a new AI centre of expertise in Montréal, the International Centre of Expertise in Montréal for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (ICEMAI). ICEMAI will work alongside a corresponding centre of expertise located in Paris. The centres will focus on four research themes: responsible AI, data governance, the future of work, and innovation and commercialization. — Mairead Matthews | email
Our Perspective
Domain Expertise Crucial for Successful Medical AI
By Rosina Hamoni, Olivia Lin, and Mairead Matthews
What do you do when you feel sick or experience the first symptoms of a cold or flu? Do you visit your pharmacy or doctor’s office, or do you go on your laptop or mobile phone and Google your symptoms first? If you chose the latter option, you’re not alone. Google has become the “go-to” search engine for almost everything in our daily lives, and caring for our health is no exception. In 2008, Google realized that their platform contained valuable information regarding the number of flu-related searches and created Google Flu Trend (GFT), an algorithm that used search data to track influenza-like illness (ILI) and predict their spread.
Read this post to discover why the quality of these GFT’s predictions have deteriorated over time.
Facial Recognition Company Clearview AI Provides a Useful Case Study for the Right to be Forgotten in Canada
Why don’t Canadians have the same privacy options with Clearview AI as residents from other jurisdictions? Ultimately, it comes down to the explicit legal protections provided by Canadian privacy law.
In June, following several months of relative silence, Clearview AI resurfaced in Canadian media. CBC reported that Canadians — unlike individuals from other jurisdictions (California, the UK, and the EU, for example) — can’t get their images deleted from Clearview’s software. Instead, Canadians can only request to “opt out” of the software, meaning they can have their images deindexed from its search. The Clearview website states that some individuals can request to have their personal information deleted, depending on their respective legal jurisdiction. For example, the website provides data deletion forms for residents of California, Illinois, the European Union, United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
Why don’t Canadians have the same privacy options as residents of other jurisdictions?
Digital Economy Annual Review 2019: Part 2
By Maryna Ivus and Chris Herron
ICTC is pleased to present the Digital Economy Annual Review 2019, a report that explores broad trends over the past year in Canada’s digital economy with respect to economic impact, the labour market, technology adoption, and talent supply.
This 2019 review will be presented through a three-part blog series.
- Part 1: Economic Growth
- Part 2: The Labour Market
- Part 3: Talent Supply (to be published next week)
The report utilizes historical data starting from 2009 through to 2019.
Canada’s ICT employment grew robustly in 2019, although this growth was unevenly spread across roles and sectors.
Employment in Canada’s digital economy grew by 3.8%. Employment in the ICT sector grew by 1.8%. This modest figure was mainly due to a 10% loss of non-ICT employment in the sector. By contrast, employment of ICT professionals in the ICT sector grew by 7.1%. The unemployment rate among ICT professionals was 2.8%, less than half the unemployment rate for the overall economy.
Growth in employment of ICT professionals varied widely across roles and sectors. Ten of 30 ICT National Occupation Codes saw a decline in employment; these losses were concentrated in the telecommunications sector, testing, and support technicians. By contrast, employment in roles such as Data Analysts and Electrical Engineers grew by double digits.
Special Events
Join Us For a Virtual Panel
Monday, June 29th, 2020–1:00–2:00 PM EDT
Exploring potential policy levers in support of a green, more inclusive, and digital-based economic recovery in a post-COVID world.
You’re invited to join President and CEO Namir Anani along with ICTC’s research team as they take the audience through a deep dive into their recently released white paper, Economic Resiliency in the Face of Adversity: From Surviving to Prospering. The paper and webinar explore potential policy levers in support of a green, more inclusive, and digital-based economic recovery in a post-COVID world.
Canada’s low Debt-to-GDP ratio, stable fiscal and political landscape, and strong academic and talent base sets the stage for a post-COVID economic recovery that is greener and more resilient. However, bold and strategic policy choices are needed.
You will have the opportunity to directly engage with our speakers on this content through an online chat. Click the link below to secure your registration today.
What We’re Reading
Google to launch Canada, US accelerator focused on women founders
(BetaKit)
Google is set to launch a new accelerator program focused on women founders in Canada and the United States. The program, called The Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders, is set to launch over the next few months and is open to women-led technology startups. Applications for the program open on June 22.
The accelerator is the first Google for Startups has launched that is available to both Canada and the United States. Google for Startups is the global tech giant’s initiative to help early-stage businesses through a range of programs including mentorship, training, and residency, and features a number of international accelerators.
Talking Points:
Statistics show that women entrepreneurs remain highly underrepresented around the world. In 2019, only 20% percent of global start-ups reported having a female founder. Google is dedicated to “moving the dial” and is preparing to launch a new accelerator program focused on women founders within the next few months. This is also the first such accelerator available in Canada. — Maryna Ivus | email
Research Visualized
On April 30th, the Canadian Parliamentary Budget Office estimated that direct COVID-19-related expenditures will reach $147 billion CAD by March 31st, 2021. These costs are on top of the regular drop in revenue and rise in expenditures associated with a sharp economic contraction (the PBO estimates an inflation-adjusted GDP contraction of nearly 12% in the 2020–21 fiscal year). Combined, this pushes the 2020–21 fiscal year budget shortfall to $260 billion, more than 10 times last year’s deficit.
With pre-crisis federal debt (excluding provincial debt) at approximately $700 billion, the PBO’s Yves Giroux said that it is “not unthinkable” to assume that federal debt could exceed $1 trillion this year. These deficits push Canada’s federal debt-to-GDP ratio upwards. The fiscal year 2020–21 will see this ratio change course from 31% (and falling) to 48% and rising. Such a leap in the debt ratio throws Canada’s fiscal position back to the late 1990s when austerity measures paid down unsustainable debts accumulated from the 1970s. Despite growing debt, however, Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio is still comparable to other similar countries.
Our Research
Economic Resiliency in the Face of Adversity: From Surviving to Prospering
Over the last few months, we have seen the devastating human toll of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as its impact on Canadian and global financial markets. Lockdowns, remote work, and social distancing have cast the digital economy into the spotlight. eCommerce, telemedicine use, and video game consumption have all gone up, and eLearning platforms, fintech solutions, and telecommunication services also saw a substantial surge in demand. Overnight, these changes have already highlighted the importance of digital adoption for many businesses. They have also tested the limitations of our academic institutions and underlined some of the shortcomings of the gig economy.
Larger questions about the efficacy and preparedness of our communication systems, health systems, education institutions, and trade and transportation networks will come to light, as will our ability to shape sustainable communities and a truly eco-friendly future. These are a few of the elements that will require an exceptional policy response in the coming months, paving the way for a robust economic recovery in Canada. Supporting long-term goals requires a reflection on lessons learned from the past few months and a focus on a recovery strategy that can help Canada emerge from COVID-19 in a clear and resilient direction.
“Canada has a privileged standing on the world stage, making it attractive to pursue strong economic growth and expansionary policies post COVID-19. The world of tomorrow is still in the making, and the prospect of shaping Canada’s future has never been greater,” — Namir Anani, ICTC President & CEO
This white paper highlights and addresses following topics:
- Digital adoption and acceleration for Canadian SMEs
- Workforce development and preparedness
- Building resilient supply chains and focusing on trade
- Enabling a connected health system
- Building cyber resiliency
- Supporting a sustainable and carbon-neutral economy
Twitter Highlights
Talk to Us 💬
Send your comments, questions, and tech policy insights to:
- Tyler Farmer 🚀 t.farmer@ictc-ctic.ca
- Faun Rice 🦌 f.rice@ictc-ctic.ca
