Dear Canada 3.0 Participants:

Thanks to all of you, the Canada 3.0 Forum was a resounding success.   We were overwhelmed by the turnout, thrilled by the high level of active participation, and delighted with the energy and enthusiasm directed toward Canada’s digital future.   We had hoped that the forum would be the start of the national dialogue on the prospects for and barriers to national success in digital media.    The event proved to be that – and so very much more.   

As you know, the forum attracted over 1,500 participants, drawn equally from the private sector, government and academia.   The engagement of youth, technical folks, the creative sector and business provided a practical illustration of our collective belief that the digital future lies in the marriage of tool makers and tool users.   We have so much to learn from each other; we have so much to gain from the kind of intense collaboration and partnership that everyone demonstrated n Stratford.  

What emerged from our discussions was the realization that Canada urgently needs a national digital media strategy, a position that we know is shared by national and provincial governments, as Minister Tony Clement and Premier Dalton McGinty made very clear.   It was equally clear that we have the makings of a national digital media strategy within our grasp.   As the discussions unfolded, particularly in the working groups, the core elements of a national plan emerged.   The ideas that you shared, the arguments you advanced, the visions you offered and the commitment you all showed to Canada have provided a remarkable foundation for moving forward.  

As we said repeatedly, the Canada 3.0 Forum was only a step on a road toward national success in this vital sector.   We cannot lose the momentum from this remarkable gathering, so we are asking you to continue to help us with the task of expanding and deepening the vision of Canada’s digital future.   Over the next few days, you will see notices concerning the Stratford Declaration appearing online and in the national news.   By early next week, summaries of the conference streams, recorded by PricewaterhouseCoopers, will be posted on our website for your review.   The session chairs will continue the online dialogue in the coming months as we work together to refine and implement the ideas that we shared in Stratford.  

We have some very specific and time sensitive projects requiring your active engagement and assistance:

1.      We want to expand and enrich the Stratford Declaration so that it reflects more comprehensively the results of our deliberations.   We offered a starting point at the conference.   We will post that document online and then invite conference participants and others to contribute to its further development.   We are looking for a one page document that captures the spirit, energy and insights of the Canada 3.0 Forum.  

2.   We will post a more detailed strategic document, “Digital Nation: A Strategy for Canadian Success,” based on the contributions of the keynote speakers and the stream sessions.   This longer document will capture the more specific recommendations arising from our conversations.   We will submit this strategy statement to the 22 June Digital Media Forum being held in Ottawa.    We will require your thoughts and input in order to have a polished statement available for distribution at the 22 June event.

Thank you so very much for joining us at Canada 3.0.   We promised this wouldn't be the end of the discussions and we are putting you back to work!   But as we all agreed, our work is just beginning.   Having so many leaders and practitioners from across Canada’s digital media space together was inspiring and truly exciting.  

Let us now take this to the next level.   Participate in the ongoing discussions, review and comment on the related documents, get in on a blog and add to the wiki.Please continue to collaborate us.

Let's keep the spirit and momentum of Canada 3.0 alive!  

With our warmest appreciation and thanks,

Canada 3.0 Organizing Committee